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ST. PETERSBURG: 



ITS PEOPLE; 



$hk (%ratte aitfo Jitsfiteferits. 



BY 

y 



U" 



EDWARD JERRIAM. 



TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GERMAN, 



BY 



FREDERICK HARDMAK 




NEW YORK: 
A. S. BARNES & CO., 51 AND 53 JOHN-STREET 

CINCINNATI:— H. W. DERBY. 
1855. 




s 



£> \ 






TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 



IN sending to press this English version of a very entertaining 
German volume, the translator does not feel called upon to pre- 
fix other introduction than the expression of his belief in the book's 
accuracy and impartiality. Mr. Jerrmann's preface explains the 
principles to which he has striven to adhere, whilst writing of a 
country of which he has evidently brought away a more favourable 
impression than it has left upon the majority of its recent literary 
visitors. From his fifteenth chapter we learn what he himself by pro- 
fession is, — namely, a stage-player, who passed three years in St. Pe- 
tersburg as manager of a German company. The patronage he 
there met with was hardly calculated to cast a rose-coloured reflection 
on his reminiscences of the Russian capital ; otherwise we might 
perhaps be justified in suspecting that the actor's gratitude had 
swayed the author's pen to undue laudation of the Emperor 
Nicholas, of whom he is manifestly a warm admirer. 

In the original German, the word " unpolitical" is prefixed to 
the title of this book, whose contents hardly justify its use. 
The political bias, if bias there be, is in a contrary direction to that 
traceable in most English, French, and German works published 
of late years, and relating to Russia. Upon the whole, Mr. Jerr- 
mann rather approves than blames the present order of things in 



4 TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 

that country, which he considers to be in a transition state of steady 
but slow improvement — the more satisfactory because slow. He 
does not, however, dogmatically contend for the soundness of his 
opinions, but will apparently be well content if his readers credit 
the facts with which he furnishes them, thereupon to form their 
own judgment. Thus much can hardly be refused to a writer, 
who, although hitherto unknown in England, is evidently shrewd 
and intelligent, whose veracity we have no grounds to call in ques- 
tion, and to whom we are certainly indebted for a highly interesting 
book. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



THE friendly reception which several of the following sketches from 
St. Petersburg have already found in various journals, encourages 
me, in compliance with the gratifying invitation of my publishers, 
to place them before the public in a collective form, and with con- 
siderable augmentations. I do not deceive myself as to the difficul- 
ties of my undertaking ; I know how much more is justly required 
from a book than from fugitive newspaper sketches ; and on that 
account I have arranged the present volume in the unassuming form 
of detached pictures. I do not pretend to pass judgment ; I con- 
fine myself to depicting that which I have partly seen with my own 
eyes, and partly derived from trustworthy sources. 

The present tone of public opinion in no way discourages me. 
In a far more agitated time, upon my return from France, I wrote 
my book on Paris ; and although, in many respects, it was directly 
opposed to the prevailing opinion of the political and social condi- 
tion of France, it nevertheless met, at the hands of both readers and 
critics, the indulgent consideration which those may fairly claim who 
honestly strive after a knowledge of the truth. Now, as then, I ad- 
dress myself to my task in a cheerful and impartial spirit. 

Observant by education, by calling, and by inclination, and 
weaned, by travel and experience, from many prevalent prejudices, 
I noted, with careful eye, during three years' sojourn in the Russian 
capital, all that my social relations allowed me opportunity of inves- 
tigating ; and I here add to my observations such remarks only as 
are their natural and inevitable results. I put myself forward nei- 
ther as moralist nor as politician. My aim is to display the customs 
and manners of a foreign land, with that candour and freedom of 
speech whose consequences certainly darkened some of the best 
years of my life, but of which I have never been able to divest my- 



6 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 

self. I must either speak the naked truth or be silent. In speaking 
of the men and things of Russia, I have exhibited them as I beheld 
and appreciated them. If I took a false view, it was the fault of 
my powers of perception, not of my will. I can see only with my 
own eyes ; but the consciousness that I have in no way misrepre- 
sented what I have seen, gives me courage to present my observa- 
tions to the world, at risk of running counter to the prevailing 
opinion of many, and of opening to prejudice a wide field of criti- 
cism. I say prejudice, and I repeat the word, for on no subject 
have I, in enlightened Germany, heard such prejudiced opinions ex- 
pressed as on the subject of Russia and its Ruler. We are more 
intimately acquainted with the state of China than with that of a 
country which commences at our frontier. To the many erroneous 
views with respect to Russia which have obtained wide currency 
amongst us, the various books published concerning that country 
have not a little contributed. For, independently of wilful misre- 
presentations, French and German writers have contemplated the 
social and political circumstances of Russia with the eyes of their 
own nationality. This is wrong and unjust, for every country and 
every nation has a right to demand that it should be examined and 
judged from the point of view of its own peculiar idiocrasy. He 
who refuses to take his observations from that point of view, may 
achieve sparkling comparisons, witty reasoning, jest and satire, but 
will never attain to a natural and lifelike representation of the peo- 
ple he professes to describe. 

It is with heartfelt conviction that I praise in Russia much which 
in Germany I should bitterly blame. Persons who have blamed 
those things in Russia have had before their eyes, when forming 
their judgment, not Russia, but their own country, their nationality, 
themselves in short. I have done my utmost to avoid this subjective 
manner of viewing things, and have endeavoured, when investigat- 
ing whatever struck me as strange, to make due allowance for dif- 
ferences of climate and civilisation, and in the temperament and 
character of the people. As for the rest, I stand upon facts, partly 
historical, partly still existing, and therefore incontrovertible. My 
views may possibly be refuted, but the facts upon which they are 
based defy refutation. 



CONTENTS. 











Page 


I. First Impressions and Social Intercourse ... 9 


II. The Emperor Nicholas 






21 


III. The Festival at Peterhof, and a Military . 


Review 


r. 


28 


IV. Public Buildings and Private Houses 






33 


V. The Winter Palace ... 






41 


VI. Public Schools . 








50 


VII. Foundling Hospital 








55 


VIII. Curiosa .... 








59 


IX. Kitchen and Cellar . . , 








66 


X. Official Pensions and EESPONSiBiLrriES 


i 






, 70 


XI. The Eussian Police 








. 74 


XII. Eussian Justice . . . , 








80 


XIII. A Show of Brides . . 








86 


XIV. Coachmen and Couriers . 








90 


XV. Theatres ..... 








95 


XVI. Henrietta Sontag . . « 








107 


XVII. Concerts ..... 








. Ill 


XVIII. Conspiracies .... 








, 115 


XIX. The Imperial Family . . ■ 








, 122 


XX. Joseph is Dead, but Peter Lives < 








, 132 


XXI. Prince Gagarin .... 








, 136 


XXII. Gostinoy Dwor .... 








143 


XXIII. Classification . . . • 








147 


XXIV. Master and Slave . . . 








151 


XXV. The Serf 








156 


XXVI. A Merchant of the First Guild, and a Spendth 


RIFT OF 


the First Magnitude . , 


i j 


t 


4 


160 



8 CONTENTS. 






Page 


XXVII. A Merchant of the Second Guild . . . 


. 164 


XXVIII. A Russian Sect 


. 168 


XXIX. A Dream ....... 


. 172 


XXX. The Statue of Peter the Great . . . . 


. 176 


XXXI. The Pope 


. 180 


XXXII. The Serf's Story 


. 187 


XXXIII. Storm and Whhilwind ..«•», 


, 192 


XXXIV. The Moon of the Mountains • • . , 


199 


XXXV. Justice and Police ..••., 


204 


XXXVI. Rod and Knout ..;..., 


210 


XXXVII. The Russian Peasant ...... 


215 


XXXVIII. A Day at Sarskoje-Selo . 


218 


XXXIX. A Winter Morning in the Country . . . 


224 


XL. An Evening in the German Colony • . 


230 



PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 



CHAPTER I. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 

ST, PETERSBURG, the capital of an empire which borders on 
Germany ; St. Petersburg, which reckons amongst its inhabitants 
upwards of forty thousand Germans, of whom a large proportion 
correspond with friends and relations in their own country ; St. Pe- 
tersburg, which annually receives several hundred German guests, 
is nevertheless as imperfectly known to us as if it lay beyond the 
Mountains of the Moon ; and the accounts we get of it are so fabu- 
lously strange, that when we come to visit it we scarcely dare to 
trust the evidence of our own eyes. Even according to the sketches 
given by Messrs. Kohl and Pelz (Treumund Welp), who neverthe- 
less abode there long enough to know better, one trembles lest one 
should encounter a bear on the Newsky Perspective, or receive in 
one's peaceable dwelling the visit of a famished wolf. His mind full 
of such erroneous anticipations, the traveller fancies himself a stage 
or two beyond Christendom, expects to make acquaintance with a 
semi-barbarous land, and approaches the City of the Czars with 
trepidation and anxiety. How startling and agreeable is the con- 
trast, to these gloomy forebodings, of the reality that presents itself 
on entering the Russian capital, especially if the approach be made 
from the side of the sea. The beauty of the entrance into St. Pe- 
tersburg cannot easily be paralleled. First, magnificent Cronstadt, 
with its harbour full of countless ships, its docks without end, its re- 
markable towers and works, rising in wonderful strength and beauty 
out of the depths of the open sea, strikes us with admiration. A 
little further we pass the beautiful palace of Peterhof, with its de- 
lightful gardens, its pleasant park, its fairy-like buildings. After 
several hours' sail up stream, and after passing the splendid build- 
1* 



10 PIG TUBES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

ing appropriated to the mining school, we reach the majestic Eng- 
lish quay, where the steamer stops, just opposite to the Exchange. 

The delay occasioned by the revision of passports, before which 
no one is allowed to quit the vessel, and by the subsequent inspec- 
tion of baggage at the custom-house, is disagreeable, especially as 
the glimpse one gets of the city excites the strongest desire and 
most impatient curiosity to examine it more closely. The annoy- 
ance of the detention is lessened, however, by the obliging courtesy 
with which the officials perform their duty, assisting the travellers, 
after its completion, to repack and arrange their property. If there 
be any truth in the oft-repeated tales of the horrors of the Kussian 
custom-house, they at least can apply but to the inland frontiers, 
where, perhaps, Cossack usages still prevail. "When entering St. 
Petersburg by water it is only in cases where information of fraud 
has been received, that harshness and severity are displayed ; other- 
wise, and as a general rule, the treatment is considerate and hu- 
mane, and might be substituted with great advantage for the petty 
annoyance inflicted by the Austrian customs' officers. The custo- 
mary formalities at an end, it is usually still broad daylight when 
you reach the interior of the city. Most strangers proceed thither 
along the quay, across the Isaac Square, by the fine statue of Peter 
the Great, the imposing building of the Admiralty and the wonder- 
ful Isaac Church, to the Newsky Perspective. However much ac- 
customed to Paris and London, the stranger cannot but be struck, 
impressed and delighted by the spectacle that here presents itself to 
him ; by the remarkable beauty of this street, its immense width, 
including a double line of carriage ways floored with wood, and 
foot-paths ten or twelve feet broad — by the magnificent palaces and 
palatial houses bordering it on either side : by the elegance of the 
rows of shops, each vying with the other in luxury and richness, 
fronted with the clearest glass, illumined at night with floods of gas- 
light, and filled with the most costly objects that luxury and refine 
merit can devise. Still more is he astonished at the constant stream 
of life which flows along this great artery ol the city ; at the throng 
of passengers on foot and on horseback, in carriages drawn by six 
and by four horses, in smaller vehicles of every kind, in droschkis 
and istworstschiks. If the stranger, extricating himself from this 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. \\ 

noisy bustling scene, succeeds in finding accommodation at the Ho- 
tel Coulon or the Hotel Demuth, the only foreign hotels in St. Pe- 
tersburg, he may live there comfortably enough until he can settle 
himself in more permanent quarters. But if, through want of room 
at those houses, or ignorance of the locality, he betakes himself to a 
Russian hotel, he has speedy opportunity of studying one of the 
most disgraceful sides of life in St. Petersburg. Short of a forest 
cavern, a foreigner could hardly meet with anything more uninvi- 
ting and unpleasant than the aspect of one of these caravanserais, 
or with anything more dismal than its arrangement and distribu- 
tion. He is ushered into ill-lighted rooms, betraying a sad want of 
the careful and cleansing hand of a tidy hostess ; and where the ele- 
gance of the furniture is by no means so great as to make amends 
for its extreme scantiness. The absence of anything like a bed par- 
ticularly strikes him. Russian travellers do not miss this, for they 
invariably carry their own beds about with them, as Maximilian the 
First carried his coffin, and thus accustom hotel keepers to dispense 
with beds in their apartments. At last, after many delays, and at 
the urgent and agonized entreaty of the weary foreigner, such a bed 
is provided as the German, accustomed to the snug eiderdown of the 
fatherland, shudders to contemplate. The painful impression of this 
first reception is but very partially surmounted, when he becomes 
aware of another cause of discomfort and annoyance. The attend- 
ance is simply execrable. In these Russian hotels there is seldom 
a living creature who can speak anything but Russian ; and foreign- 
ers are at their wit's end to make themselves understood. There is 
little hope for English, French, and Italians. Only the German, if 
his good genius suggests to him to visit the kitchen, may chance to 
discover there a Finland woman. These are skilful cooks, and most 
of them speak German. He will hardly get a better supp<a: for this, 
however ; and ultimately will be fain to have recourse to the hospi- 
tality of his countrymen resident in St. Petersburg, and which as- 
suredly will never fail him. If the stranger has letters, or even only 
a single letter, of introduction, which it is natural to suppose will in 
most instances be the case, he is rescued, immediately on presenting 
them, from the purgatory of his inn, either by the oft'er of a room 
in the friend's house to whom he is recommended or by being pro- 



12 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

vided with a furnished apartment, of which there are plenty to let in 
St. Petersburg, chiefly in German houses, and where he will usually 
find himself very comfortable. 

Should any one who reads these lines ever visit St. Petersburg 
without introduction or acquaintance, let him go to the first wine- 
house or restaurateur he meets with (there is no lack of them), and 
inspect the bill of fare, upon which the names of eatables and drink- 
ables are inscribed in German as well as in Russian. In such pla- 
ces, too, there is generally an attendant who can speak German. 
Let the stranger walk in, seat himself at the first unoccupied table 
he comes to, and order his breakfast in German, and in rather a loud 
voice. He may be pretty certain that, before he has half finished 
his repast — and provided he be not too entirely engrossed in its 
discussion — he will observe some one of the persons present call the 
waiter, and whisper a few words in his ear. The waiter replies by 
the same sort of pantomime usually performed by a German court- 
chamberlain when his royal master asks him why the people do not 
cheer as he goes by. The habitug, having received this shoulder- 
shrugging answer to his inquiry, seems to consult a moment with 
his companions, then empties his glass, fills it again, rises from table, 
approaches the stranger, and greets him as a countryman. Some 
conversation ensues, and if there be anything in the new comer's 
mode of speaking, occupation, country, journey, or manner, to in- 
spire the slightest interest, it may safely be wagered that before his 
interlocutor has emptied his glass, he has invited him to join his 
party. If, in the intercourse which then follows, he justifies, ever so 
little, the good opinion which his new acquaintance are well-dis- 
posed to entertain of him, he is asked to call upon them, and thence- 
forward it only depends upon him to consider their houses, if he so 
pleases, as his own. There is little ceremony used with anybody. 
A stranger is invited only once to dinner. If he does not please his 
entertainers, they nevertheless, for that once, endure him with a good 
and hospitable grace. If, upon the other hand, he makes a favour- 
able impression, on leaving table his host says to him, with a cordial 
shake of the hand, " Do not wait for another invitation ; your knife 
and fork will be laid here daily, and the often er you come and use 
them, the greater the pleasure you will do us." And when this is 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 13 

said, the guest may feel assured that it is meant literally as spoken. 
Nor need he ever fear to inconvenience his hospitable entertainers ; go 
when he will, he will be welcome. His place is ready for him : if 
oysters and champagne are upon table, his host smiles, well-pleased 
that he has come on a day of good cheer. But though beef and 
potatoes alone be on the board, the lady of the house betrays not a 
sign of vexation or embarrassment. Enough there always is ; how 
it is managed I know not ; but the entrance of half a dozen unfore- 
seen guests neither excites surprise nor occasions inconvenience. On 
the other hand, however homely the repast, the hostess never deems 
an apology requisite. What she gives is freely given, and she 
therefore makes sure that it will be contentedly received. How she 
would laugh, could she witness, in some German household in Dres- 
den or Berlin, the housewife's deadly agony when her husband un- 
expectedly brings home from 'Change a friend or two to dinner. 
Such agony, for such a motive, is unknown in St. Petersburg; un- 
known, too, there, is the German custom of making trifling presents 
to servants as often as you take a meal in a friend's house. At 
Christmas and Easter it is customary to make calls at the houses of 
your friends, and then money is given to servants, and in handsome 
amounts ; ten or twenty rubles to each, or even more, according to 
the means and inclination of the donor. If the two customs come 
much to the same in the end, at any rate that of the Kussians is 
more seemly and convenient. 

Conversation at Russian dinner tables is not very striking or di- 
versified. This may be partially accounted for by the separation of 
the sexes. Be it observed that I here depict the manners of the 
middle classes. He who desires to learn those of the nobility — not 
only of Russia, but of the rest of Europe — has only to study the 
usages of Parisian society, and he then knows those of all other aris- 
tocratic societies. In the burgher circles at St. Petersburg, the two 
sexes usually group themselves very much apart from each other. 
Even at meals the gentlemen take one half of the table, and the la- 
dies the other. I will not venture exactly to praise such an arrange- 
ment, but certainly it spares many an old greybeard, or busy mer- 
chant, engrossed with agios and percentages, the trouble of having 
to entertain a simpering sixteen-year-old neighbour. 



14 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

The chief subjects of conversation with the ladies of St. Peters- 
burg, at the dinner table, and in the circle they subsequently form 
round their coffee cups, are music, theatricals, the gossip of the town, 
a very little literature, and above all, the fashions. On this last sub- 
ject they are inexhaustible, and truth demands the confession that 
they do not cultivate a barren soil. They do not, as many a distin- 
guished national assembly has done, waste their time in fruitless 
theories. Every project devised speedily becomes an accomplished 
fact ; plans are no sooner sketched than carried out ; theory quickly 
blossoms into practice; no undertaking is too difficult, no obstacle 
insurmountable, no sacrifice too great for these devoted priestesses 
of the Graces. 

Amongst the men at St. Petersburg the talk is of their business, 
of art, science, and politics. Of the latitude of conversation on this 
latter subject, we, in Germany, have no idea. Our notion is, that 
politics are a prohibited topic in the Russian capital. ]N~or is the 
notion altogether erroneous, for in public one does not hear them 
discussed. But did any one hear them discussed publicly in Ger- 
many until before the events of March ? And did not the places of 
public amusement in Germany offer a thousand opportunities for 
their discussion ? And in all Austria did any man dare, even in his 
own house — if there were a few persons collected there — to speak 
his mind freely ? And if by chance, between cheese and dessert, he 
did allow a candid word or two to escape him on political subjects, 
did he not, on the servant's entrance, even though the man had been 
ten years under his roof, bite his lip, and quickly hold his peace ? 

In St. Petersburg people do not live abroad. Public gardens, 
boulevards, bazaars, and so forth, are there unknown. There every- 
body minds his business, and stops in his house ; and when the 
cares and toils of the former are at an end, he does his utmost to 
transform the latter into a paradise. Freedom is an indispensable 
condition of such transformation, and of freedom, the Petersburger 
enjoys, in his own house, an ample measure ; not only in the com- 
plete liberty of his social life, not only in his complete abandonment 
to his individual inclinations, but also in respect of political contro- 
versies, which in his domestic circle are often carried on with such 
keenness and unreserve, that the hearer fancies himself transported 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 15 

into some German republican club. Freedom is far greater in St. 
Petersburg, in this respect, than is generally supposed. Considering 
the license of expression indulged in when conversing on political 
subjects before strangers and servants, it is quite inconceivable that 
the vigilant police should never have become aware of, or taken 
umbrage at it ; and that there should be no instance on record of a 
domiciliary visit in the house of a German resident in St. Petersburg. 
It is probable enough, however, that the authorities are aware of 
those conversations, but intentionally take no notice of them, know- 
ing the character of Germans, and that, with them, — words do not 
lead to deeds. 

When politics, into which conversation at St. Petersburg usually 
ends by gliding, have been fairly exhausted, play is resorted to as a 
pastime. In this the women are in no way behindhand with the 
men ; but, on the contrary, have usually organised their tables of 
whist, boston, ombre, or preference, long before the politicians have fin- 
ished their discussions. Preference, especially, is a favourite game with 
the St. Petersburg fair ones. "With unremitting assiduity they play 
on from seven or eight in the evening till two in the morning, then 
sup, and separate at four to get up again at daybreak, — that is to 
say, according to German time, at nine in the morning ; for I here 
speak of winter parties only, seeing that in summer, at St. Peters- 
burg, there are neither parties nor inhabitants. 

When the St. Petersburger has thus introduced a stranger into 
his house and shown him his domestic interior, the chief subject of 
his pride, he proceeds to display to him the second thing in which 
he glories, namely, the beauties of the capital. A day is fixed, the 
droschki is brought to the door, — few Petersburgers in comfortable 
circumstances are without an equipage, — and the foreigner is driven 
all about the town. First, through the Newsky Perspective, already 
referred to, to the majestic Newsky Convent, where repose the bones 
of St. Alexander Newsky, which were miraculously cast ashore, so 
runs the tradition, on the Neva's bank, by the Baltic's tempestuous 
billows. In costly silver relievos, the hero's exploits are perpetuated 
upon his coffin. Returning hence, the stranger's guide points out 
to him, on the left of the Perspective, the Kasan church, one of the 
most beautiful ornaments of the city. In its front stand four colos- 



16 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

sal stone statues of apostles, models for four statues of the like gi- 
gantic size, which are to be cast in silver. The metal for this pur- 
pose is already stored up in the vaults of the Church, and is a pious 
present from the Cossacks of the Don. On entering the sacred edi- 
fice, the eye is at once fettered and dazzled by the magnificence it 
meets. Pillars, walls, floor, and ceiling, all of the costliest marble; 
a great barrier, three feet high, and of wrought silver, in front of 
the sanctuary, and behind it pictures of saints, partly cut out, ac- 
cording to the Russian fashion, and having head, neck, and breast, 
as well as the frames, studded with precious stones of great price. 
Various trophies, conquered in the wars with Turks and French, 
decorate the Church ; amongst others, the marshal's baton of Da- 
voust, the sight of which once incited a Frenchman, fanaticised by 
false patriotism, to commit a church robbery. He was detected ; 
and although the offence is one of those most severely punished in 
Russia, the authorities contented themselves, in consideration of the 
extenuating motive, with sending him out of the country. 

From the Kasansky you drive through the Morskoy, paved, like 
the ISTewsky, with wood, to the Etdt Major*, one of the handsom- 
est buildings in St. Petersburg, opposite to which, on an immense 
open square, stands the enormous Alexander's Pillar. Thence you 
proceed to the sumptuous Winter Palace, whence the view over the 
Neva, Wasili-Ostrow, and the Petersburg bank, is exceedingly fine. 
Going down the quay, you reach the Champ de Mars, of such vast 
extent, that I once saw the Emperor pass in review there a body of 
80,000 men of all arms. Whoever has had the opportunity of 
seeing the Russian guards manoeuvre, will assuredly hesitate before 
expressing German contempt of those " barbarous hordes." Several 
days are requisite for even a superficial examination of the principal 
sculptural and architectural monuments of the city. Then it is the 
turn of St. Petersburg's charming environs; — Sarskoje-Selo, Jela- 
gyn, and Peterhof, the summer residence of the Court, whose beau- 
ty borders on the fabulous. Thence comes a visit to Apothecary's 
Island, with its wonderful botanical garden, in whose immense con- 

* Generalstah, military headquarters, offices of the staff : in England, the 
Horse-Guards is the only analogous establishment. — T. 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 17 

servatories one fancies oneself transported to the tropics. To the 
intelligent zeal of the court-gardener, Mr. Tellmann, a German, 
these hot-houses are indebted for a care and development which 
renders them probably unsurpassed by similar establishments in any 
country of the world. At any rate, nothing of the kind that I 
have seen in Potsdam, Vienna, and Paris, can bear comparison with 
them. From Apothecary's Island you reach Kamini-Ostrow, thence 
proceed to Petrowsky, and so from one island to another, each sur- 
passing its neighbour in the beauty of its plantations and elegance 
of its summer villas. Certainly art alone is to be thanked for all 
this beauty and bloom in the far north of Europe, where nature 
does nothing ; equally certain is it that the glory of these lovely 
gardens lasts at most but ten or twelve weeks. Not on that ac- 
count, however, are we to withhold our recognition of the Beauti- 
ful, wheresoever we find it : but rather prize and appreciate it the 
more, because our enjoyment of it is to be so brief. And assuredly 
the stranger, crossing for the first time the bridge of Kamini-Os- 
trow, pausing in its centre, and looking right and left at the lovely 
villas, built in the most graceful Italian style, and embedded in lux- 
uriant vegetation and beauteous flowers, may well imagine, as his 
astonished gaze wanders over the shores of the arm of the Neva, 
that he has been suddenly transported to the seductive banks of 
Arno or of Brenta. These islands are the summer abode of the 
inhabitants of the capital ; where no one, whose business will pos- 
sibly admit his absence, ever remains between the beginning of 
June and the end of August. The oppressive heat, combined with 
the intolerable dust, and, above all, the pestiferous exhalations of 
the canals, drive every one forth. These canals, of great width, and 
encased in handsome granite quays, are very ornamental to the 
city ; but they render residence there during the hot season perfect 
torture. Accordingly, towards the end of May, all make their es- 
cape ; and if I have already had occasion to praise the hospitality 
of the town, I must now admit it to be surpassed by that exercised 
in the country. There it is a common practice for whole families 
to quarter themselves, unexpected and uninvited, upon their friends 
and acquaintances, bringing with them their servants, horses, and 
dogs. They are always heartily welcome, kindly received, and hos- 



18 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

pitably entertained ; and their departure is sincerely deplored, though 
it occur only after many weeks' stay. The rural amusements are 
walks and rides, bathing, bals champetres, fire-works, — which are 
let off almost every evening, especially towards the beginning of 
autumn, — music, singing, somewhat more conversation than in town, 
because less time is passed at cards, somewhat less reading, because 
one is almost constantly out of doors. Gambling, however, is not 
entirely given up, and moreover the abstinence in summer is amply 
compensated by the winter's excess. With the exception of Mexico, 
there is assuredly in no place in the world more gambling than here. 
True, that games of chance are strictly prohibited, and are played 
neither in public places nor at private clubs ; but games of skill, 
especially preference, are played so abominably high that scarcely an 
evening passes, in the winter-time, without a few hundred thousand 
rubles banco exchanging hands at the card-tables of the English 
club and other establishments of the kind. These profuse and habi- 
tual gamblers play, especially the Russians, with wonderful coolness, 
and with the utmost apparent indifference as to the result. 

A circumstance that comes greatly in aid to the hospitality of 
the Petersburgers, is the abundance of provisions and their conse- 
quent cheapness. One can hardly form an idea of the plenty that 
prevails. On Twelfth Day, when midnight chimes, the peasants of 
the whole empire set out upon their sledges, well packed with fish, 
flesh, game, and preserved fruits, which latter are nowhere so well 
prepared and of such good flavour as in Russia, and repair to the 
towns, especially to St. Petersburg, often performing journeys of 
2000 or 3000 versts. There they usually sell their goods at very 
advantageous prices, and then, in large caravans, in high spirits, and 
somewhat elevated by drink, retrace their steps homewards. These 
journeys, however, take place only in what are called fine winters, 
by which the Russians understand a steady cold of 20° to 24° 
Reaumur. Then the sledging paths are firm and smooth ; the 
peasants' little horses, not bigger than a bull of a year and a half old, 
drag them briskly and without fatigue to the capital, where their 
eatables arrive fresh and in good order. If, upon the other hand, a 
thaw sets in, these poor people are greatly to be pitied. The results 
of their year's toil are inevitably lost to them. And even when it 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 19 

freezes again directly, so that the provisions reach their journey's 
end seemingly well preserved, the thaw has nevertheless caused dis- 
trust as to the state of the meat, and sale and price are alik^ dimin- 
ished. With respect to fish not the slightest deception can take 
place, for the Russian knows by the very first look at the fish's eye, 
and by pressing it gently with his finger, whether the fish has been 
thawed, and if it has he will not purchase it at any price. In re- 
markably mild winters, when there are frequent intermissions of 
thaw and frost,— as happened, for instance, in the winter of 1841-2, 
— the police institute a rigid examination of the provisions before 
they are allowed to enter the city. And so it came to pass that in 
that unfortunate winter, many hundreds of sledges were excluded 
from St. Petersburg, their contents were thrown into the water or 
buried in the earth, and their unhappy owners had no choice but to 
sell horse, sledge, and harness, and to retrace on foot, sorrowful and 
a-hungerecl, the weary journey to their distant homes. Happily 
such bad (mild) winters are of very rare occurrence. The one I 
have just referred to, during which the Neva twice thawed and twice 
again was frozen, was unparalleled in the memory of the oldest man 
in St. Petersburg. 

The cheapness of the principal necessaries of life, such as bread, 
potatoes, meat, and fish, extends also to the more delicate vegeta- 
bles, to fruit, and to poultry and the smaller sorts of game (espe- 
cially a species of partridge, heathcocks, &c), particularly if one does 
not run after things which have only just come into season. This 
explains the abundance observable on the tables of St. Petersburg, 
even upon those of the middle classes. Fuel is also very cheap, 
and rents, compared with those demanded in Vienna and other capi- 
tals, are by no means high. I lived in the Stalerney-Perulok, one 
of the most lively streets in St. Petersburg, in a very large handsome 
house. I had the best floor, which there means the second floor ; 
the first floor of St. Petersburg houses being disagreeable owing to 
deficiency of light and the noise from the street. My apartments 
consisted of a large drawing-room with a balcony, and four other 
highly comfortable rooms, besides corridor, kitchen, loft and cellar. 
The rent I paid was 1,300 rubles banco (not quite 45l. sterling). 
In Vienna the same accommodation would certainly cost twice as 



20 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

much. My expense for fuel during the whole of the long winter of 
St. Petersburg — where, as is well known, the stoves are arranged so 
as to heat, besides the dwelling rooms, kitchen, passage, hall and 
staircase — amounted to no more than 200 rubles, or less than *ll. 
sterling ; whereas in Vienna, with much less space to heat, I paid 
the same sum every two months the winter through. And those 
who are satisfied to burn nothing but coals will hardly be at a third 
of the expense. Thus we see that rent is certainly not dear, and 
that the ordinary necessaries of life are decidedly cheap. But very 
costly, upon the other hand, are all objects of luxury, particularly 
those manufactured in foreign countries. Men's clothes, and more 
particularly women's clothes, are made in St. Petersburg even bet- 
ter than in London and Paris ; the fashions of course coming from 
the latter places, and being most conscientiously imitated by the 
Russian artists. But they are enormously dear, as are all kinds of 
dress, millinery, and ornaments, and as are also French wines and 
books. The dealers in these last, for instance, reckon the Prussian 
dollar as equivalent to the silver ruble, which is at once an addition 
of six or seven per cent, to the price, and moreover, lay on a profit 
of twenty-five and often thirty-three per cent. By these exorbitant 
charges the sale of books is much injured. Foreign wines in gen- 
eral are anything but cheap, especially champagne, the regular price 
of which is three silver rubles a bottle, or more than half as dear 
again as in Germany ; and what makes this expense still more felt 
is the extravagant use of that wine. The first thing that a Russian 
places before a stranger is champagne, and as the German is of an 
imitative nature, and this custom flatters alike his palate and his van- 
ity, the use of the luxury is carried to profusion. An effort has 
been made to substitute a Russian product for this expensive drink ; 
and a wine is fabricated out of the excellent grapes of the Crimea 
which is called Russian champagne, and which exactly resembles the 
original as far as colour and effervescence go. But there the likeness 
ends. In flavour the difference is so notable that the Russian sets 
the Crimean wine only before those guests whom he does not desire 
again to receive, but the repetition of whose visits the sacred laws of 
hospitality forbid him to decline. 



TEE EMPEROR NICHOLAS. 21 

CHAPTER II. 

THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS. 

THE name of the Emperor Nicholas is at this day as inseparable 
from that of Russia as is the idea of the sun from that of day- 
light. The comparison may be carried farther; for, whatever now 
thrives and ripens in the intellectual and material domain of Russia, 
is indebted for its growth to the vivifying beams of the imperial 
sun, imparting warmth and life to dead matter. Hence we get to 
comprehend the erroneous judgment which attributes to the same 
influence evil as well as good, and especially the continued duration 
of a state of things which is undoubtedly, in some respects, deeply 
to be deplored, and which, measured by the German standard, ap- 
pears perfectly horrible and revolting. It is but the few who know 
to what extent the bounteous hand of the Czar pours healing balm 
into the gaping wounds of his country ; and, of those few, but a 
very few are open to conviction of the fact. 

Let me devote a few lines to a brief investigation, founded upon 

facts. 

The rights of man are trampled under foot in Russia ! Who 
denies it ? A nation, still semi-barbarous, is subjected to a semi- 
barbarous rule ! Perfectly true. Laws unworthy of the name exist 
there, as well as classes of men degraded below the proper dignity 
of man. All this is matter of fact ; but the profound genius of the 
Emperor, who discerns all this, his restless striving to remedy these 
evils, to reconcile these incongruities, — that stamps him in my eyes, 
not only as a great sovereign, but also as a true friend of the people. 

It is with real gratification that I oppose, in these pages, a true 
and faithful representation of facts to a prejudice universal in Ger- 
many — a prejudice often confirmed and strengthened by Germans 
who have long resided in Russia. It is not my fault if those Ger- 
mans either were unable to take a clear-sighted view of what passed 
around them, or else measured it with a German rule — a mode of 
measurement of which Russian matters certainly do not admit. The 
man who rigidly investigates, and takes into due consideration, the 



22 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

character of the people, the confirmed habits of centuries, the perils 
and material disadvantages of the too-sudden development of free 
institutions, will not only contemplate with respect and admiration 
the efforts of the Russian government for the safe and gradual 
spread of liberty, but will also, like myself, not hesitate to proclaim 
the Emperor Nicholas — so often denounced as a deadly foe to free- 
dom — the true father of his country, earnestly striving to develope 
and mature the rights of his subjects. 

Proofs strike deeper than assertions, and a few of the former 
may here with propriety be given. Let us first glance at that in- 
stitution which most estranges Russia from civilization — namely, at 
the institution of serfdom. 

For the female members of this class there is but one legal path 
to emancipation : namely, marriage with a freeman. For male 
serfs, at all times until recently, military service was the only avenue 
to freedom. Once under the colours, the soldier is free. The freedom 
of the Russian soldier is not very comprehensive, and the recruit 
may in some sort be said only to exchange one kind of slavery for 
another and a milder one ; but when, on the completion of his term 
of service, or in consequence of wounds or ill-health, he receives his 
discharge, it is as a free man that he returns to his home. In strict 
regard to truth, I must, however, here observe, that, for a long time, 
this road to citizenship led but few to its enjoyment. The soldier, 
after completing a period of twenty years' service, was so accus- 
tomed to that mode of life, whilst on the other hand, owing to his 
long disuse of the occupation to which he had been brought up, he 
saw so little prospect of earning a living, that in most instances he 
accepted a second bounty, and recommenced his military career, 
to which he then clung till death or the hospital received him. 
Seven years ago, however, the Emperor Nicholas shortened the term 
of service to eight years ; a reduction which now annually restores 
to civil life many thousand free men, who were slaves until they 
donned the uniform. At the expiration of his eight years' service, 
the soldier is still a young man ; he can still enjoy his freedom, and 
found a free family. For this first and important step towards the 
emancipation of the serf, the Russian people have to thank the love 
of liberty of the Emperor Nicholas. 



THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS. 23 

A not less important disposition, aimed at the same end, and 
at the same time calculated to avert the total ruin of the Russian 
nobility, is that which relates to advances made by the Crown on 
territorial property. 

To prevent the partial depopulation of estates, a ukase, dated in 
1827, declared the serfs to constitute an integral and inseparable 
portion of the soil. The immediate consequence of this decree was 
the cessation, at least in its most repulsive form, of the degrading 
traffic in human flesh, by sale, barter, or gift. Thenceforward no 
serf could be transferred to another owner, except by the sale of the 
land to which he belonged. To secure to itself the refusal of the 
land and the human beings appertaining to it, and at the same 
time to avert from the landholder the ruin consequent on dealings 
with usurers, the government established an imperial loan-bank, 
which made advances on mortgage of lands to the extent of two- 
thirds of their value. The borrowers had to pay back each year 
three per cent, of the loan, besides three per cent, interest. If they 
failed to do this, the Crown returned them the instalments already 
paid, gave them the remaining third of the value of the property, 
and took possession of the land and its population. This was the 
first stage of freedom for the serfs. They became Crown peasants, 
held their dwellings and bit of land as an hereditary fief from the 
Crown, and paid annually for the same a sum total of five rubles 
(about four shillings for each male person) ; a rent for which, as- 
suredly, in the whole of Germany, the very poorest farm is not to 
be had ; to say nothing of the consideration that in case of bad har- 
vests, destruction by hail, disease, &c, the Crown is bound to supply 
the strict necessities of its peasants, and to find them in daily bread, 
in the indispensable stock of cattle and seed corn, to repair their 
habitations, and so forth. 

By this arrangement, and in a short time, a considerable por- 
tion of the lands of the Russian nobility became the property of the 
State, and with it a large number of serfs became Crown peasants. 
This was the first and most important step towards opening the 
road to freedom to that majority of the Russian population which 
consists of slaves. 

"When in this manner the first ideas of liberty had been awaken- 



24 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

ed in the people, the Emperor, in the exercise of his own unlimited 
and irresponsible power, took a second step, not less pregnant with 
consequences than the first. Unable suddenly to grant civil free- 
dom to the serfs, he bestowed upon them, as a transition stage, cer- 
tain civil rights. A ukase permitted them to enter into contracts. 
Thereby was accorded to them not only the right of possessing pro- 
perty, but the infinitely higher blessing of a legal recognition of their 
moral worth as men. Hitherto the serf was recognised by the State 
only as a sort of beast in human form. He could hold no property, 
give no legal evidence, take no oath. No matter how eloquent his 
speech, he was dumb before the law. He might have treasures in 
his dwelling, the law knew him only as a pauper. His word and 
honour were valueless compared to those of the vilest freeman. In 
short, morally he could not be said to exist. The Emperor Nicholas 
gave to the serfs, that vast majority of his subjects, the first sensa- 
tion of moral worth, the first throb of self-respect, the first percep- 
tion of the rights and dignity and duty of man ! "What professed 
friend of the people can boast to have done more, or yet so much, 
for so many millions of men ? 

But the Czar did not rest satisfied with this. Having given the 
serfs power to hold property, he taught them to prize the said pro- 
perty above all in the interest of their freedom. It seems quite like 
a jest to speak thus of the "tyrant and bloody-minded man;" but I 
speak in all seriousness, and the facts are there to prove my words. 
The serf could not buy his own freedom, but he became free by the 
purchase of the patch of soil to which he was linked. To such pur- 
chase the right of contract cleared his road. The lazy Russian, who 
worked with an ill will towards his master, doing as little as he 
could for the latter's profit, toiled day and night for his own advan- 
tage. Idleness was replaced by the diligent improvement of his 
farm, brutal drunkenness by frugality and sobriety ; the earth, pre- 
viously neglected, requited the unwonted care with its richest trea- 
sures. By the magic of industry, wretched hovels were transformed 
into comfortable dwellings, wildernesses into blooming fields, deso- 
late steppes and deep morasses into productive land ; whole com- 
munities, lately sunk in poverty, exhibited unmistakable signs of 
competency and well-doing. The serfs, now allowed to enter into 



TEE EMPEROR NICHOLAS. 25 

contracts, lent the lord of the soil the money of which he often 
-stood in need, on the same conditions as the Crown, receiving in 
security the land they occupied, their own bodies, and the bodies of 
their wives and children. The nobleman preferred the serfs' loan to 
the government's loan, because, when pay-day came for the annual 
interest and instalment, the Crown, if he was not prepared to pay, 
took possession of his estate, having funds wherewith to pay him 
the residue of its value. The parish of serfs, which had lent money 
to its owner, lacked these funds. Pay-day came, the debtor did not 
pay, but neither could the serfs produce the one-third of the value 
of the land which they must disburse to him in order to be free. 
Thus they lost their capital and did not gain their liberty. But 
Nicholas lived! the father of his subjects. 

Between the anxious debtor and the still more anxious creditor 
now interposed an imperial ukase, which in such cases opened to 
the parishes of serfs the imperial treasury. Mark this ; for it is 
worthy to be noted : the Russian imperial treasury was opened to 
the serfs that they might purchase their freedom ! 

The Government might simply have released the creditors from 
their embarrassment by paying the debtor the one-third still due to 
him, and then land and tenants belonged to the state ; — one parish 
the more of Crown Peasants. Nicholas did not adopt that course. 
He lent the serfs the money they needed to buy themselves from 
their master, and for this loan (a third only of the value) they 
mortgaged themselves and their lands to the Crown, paid annually 
three per cent, interest and three per cent, of the capital, and would 
thus in about thirty years be free, and proprietors of their land ! 
That they would be able to pay off this third was evident, since, to 
obtain its amount, they had still the same resources which enabled 
them to save up the two-thirds already paid. Supposing, however, 
the very worst, — that through inevitable misfortunes, such as pesti- 
lence, disease of cattle, &c, they were prevented satisfying the 
rightful claims of the Crown, in that case the Crown paid them back 
the two-thirds value which they had previously disbursed to their 
former owner, and they became a parish of Crown Peasants, whose 
lot, compared to their earlier one^ was still enviable. But not once 
% 



26 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

in a hundred times do such cases occur, whilst, by the above plan, 
whole parishes gradualfy acquire their freedom, not by a sudden 
and violent change, which could not fail to have some evil conse- 
quences, but in course of time, after a probation of labour and fru- 
gality, and after thus attaining to the knowledge that without 
these two great factors of true freedom, no real liberty can possibly 
be durable. 

I cherish a steadfast belief, that the reader, who perhaps took up 
these pages with a previously formed contrary opinion, will here lay 
them down in astonishment, if not converted from his views, at least 
staggered in them ; and perhaps will ask why, if the emperor so 
earnestly desires the freedom of his people, why he does not — he to 
whom nothing is impossible and who has the right as well as the 
power — confer it upon them by a stroke of his pen, instead of 
wearily prolonging his work, and spreading it out over so many 
years, to say nothing of the thousand eventualities which may occur 
to destroy it before it is complete ? The answer is plain. The 
great man who is carrying out this reformation — no, let us call it 
hj its right name, this peaceful Revolution, — who is pursuing, by 
carefully prepared roads, his plans for the abolition of existing 
abuses, has chosen, in his wisdom, which is equal to his love, the 
longer path, because it is not only the sure one, but the only sure 
one. In the first place, he recoils with dismay from the injustice, 
without which so enormous an encroachment on the rights of pro- 
perty could not be accomplished. Not less does he apprehend the 
abuse of the suddenly bestowed freedom, for which Russia is still 
less ripe than other civilized countries, which nevertheless have 
proved themselves unable to withstand its inseparable temptations, 
and have derived nothing but misery from measures which, wisely 
applied, would have led them to prosperity and happiness. Fruits 
can but gradually ripen, and this is also true of freedom, that 
noblest fruit in the garden of life. The Baltic provinces, where serf- 
dom no longer exists, were liberated by this same process, by which 
the rest of Russia will not fail to attain the same desirable object. 
Every man is ripe for freedom when he is fresh from the hands of 
nature : after a serfdom of centuries he is not ripe for it. 



TEE EMPEROR NICHOLAS. 27 

" Vor dem freien Manne erzittre nicht ! 
Docli vor dem Sklaven, wenn er die Kette zerbricht !"* 

So sang the poet of the nineteenth century. In the sixteenth (1580) 
King Stephen Bathoiy, of Poland, experienced the truth of the sen- 
timent. Moved by the whining entreaties of the Livonian peasants, 
he wrote to the nobles to substitute fines for corporal punishment, 
whereupon the peasants themselves rebelled, because they were no 
longer beaten. Theories are excellent in the study ; the happiness 
of nations is best secured by measures founded on actual and prac- 
tical experience. 

But what would our ardent anti-Russians say, if I took them 
into the interior of the empire, gave them an insight into the orga- 
nisation of parishes, and showed them, to their infinite astonishment, 
what they never yet dreamed of, that the whole of that organisation 
is based upon republican principles, that there every thing has its 
origin in election by the people, and that that was already the case 
at a period when the great mass of German democrats did not so 
much as know the meaning of popular franchise. Certainly the 
Russian serfs do not know at the present day what it means ; but 
without knowing the name of the thing, without having ever heard 
a word of Lafayette's ill-omened " trone monarchique, environing 
d 1 institutions rtpublicaines" they choose their own elders, theii 
administrators, their dispensers of justice and finance, and never 
dream that they, slaves, enjoy and benefit by privileges by which 
some of the most civilised nations have proved themselves incapable 
of profiting. 

Space does not here permit a more extensive sketch of what the 
Emperor Nicholas has done, and still is daily doing, for the true 
freedom of his subjects ; but what I have here brought forward 
must surely suffice to place him, in the eyes of every unprejudiced 
person, in the light of a real lover of his people. That his care has 
created a paradise — that no highly criminal abuse of power, no 
shameful neglect prevails in the departments of justice and police 
— it is hoped no reflecting reader will infer from this exposition of 

* Tremble not before the freeman, but before th§ slave who has broken hi» 
chain ! 



28 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

facts. But the still-existing abuses alter nothing in my view of the 
Emperor's character, of his assiduous efforts to raise his nation out 
of the deep slough in which it still is partly sunk, of his efficacious 
endeavours to elevate his people to a knowledge and use of their 
rights as men — alter nothing in my profound persuasion that Czar 
Nicholas I. is the true father of his country. 



CHAPTER ni. 

THE FESTIVAL AT PETERHOF, AND A MILITARY REVIEW. 

HPHE summer residences of the imperial family are in the highest 
J- degree delightful. That of Sarskoje-Selo is the one to which 
the court usually first repairs, remaining there from the beginning 
of spring to the commencement of June. Thence they go to 
Peterhof, till September, then to Jelagyn, and then back again to 
Sarskoje-Selo, returning, most years, to St. Petersburg on the 9th 
of November. The stately buildings of these summer palaces are 
surrounded with statues and monuments, and with delightful gar- 
dens, shrubberies, and plantations, wandering amongst which one 
feels suddenly transported from the icy north to some genial 
southern zone. Peterhof is the palace that most interests strangers. 
Its situation is peculiarly charming. Standing northward from St. 
Petersburg, at the mouth of the Neva, opposite to Cronstadt, which 
is plainly discernible from its windows through a telescope of mod- 
erate power, the view on that side is imposing by reason of the 
grand scale of the landscape. On the opposite side a different 
scene presents itself; there the eye reposes upon rich verdure and 
abundant foliage, or contemplates with delight the thousand hues 
of the flowers that fill the parterres and overhang the paths. Pe- 
terhof is, nevertheless, but little visited by the Petersburgers. Only 
on the 1st of July (old style) amends are made to this charming 
summer abode for the neglect to which it is doomed during the rest 
of the year. On that day — the 13th of July of our style — which 
is the Empress's birthday, and also her wedding-day, the people of 



FESTIVAL AT PETERHOF. 29 

St. Petersburg throng in vast and motley multitudes to the renown- 
ed Peterhof Festival. It is difficult to give an idea of the immense 
concourse that flows thither. From the earliest hour of the morn- 
ing, the Neva is covered with steamboats, skiffs, and gondolas, and 
the roads with vehicles of every kind, full of eager holiday-makers, 
fearless of the dust so long as they reach the scene of enjoyment. 
There the accommodation prepared for them cannot possibly suf 
fice. Enormous tents are pitched to afford rest and refreshment to 
the weary wayfarers ; but so extraordinary is the throng, that it is 
scarcely possible to keep a place even if obtained ; or else the heat 
drives one from under cover, to mingle and be carried along with 
the dense stream that fills every avenue. Hurrying from room to 
room, and from one garden into another, the morning passes away, 
and at noon the Empress appears on the balcony of the palace, and 
a military parade ensues. After the troops have defiled before her, 
the orderlies of the various corps march by, amongst which the 
Circassians are remarkable for their personal appearance, costume, 
and skill in military exercises. After the parade, which has been 
preceded by divine service, a court drawing-room is usually held ; 
then comes a drive through the park, and then dinner, succeeded, 
towards eight in the evening, by a ball in the palace. To this ball 
every one, without exception, is welcome. The country people, in 
their ordinary garb, mingle with the wearers of elegant dresses and 
brilliant uniforms ; a mixture which, however, in no way diminishes 
the universal enjoyment. Suddenly the musicians strike up ; 
through the folding doors, thrown wide open, two chamberlains enter, 
and with the utmost courtesy entreat the assemblage to make room 
for their Majesties, who are near at hand. Every one draws back, 
as much as the throng and pressure permit, and the Polonaise is 
danced, with the Emperor at its head, through all the extensive 
suite of apartments. All have thus an opportunity of seeing 
their sovereigns, and all greet them joyfully as they pass, until the 
royal dancers, retracing their steps, conclude the dance in the same 
hall wherein they commenced it. 

At a signal from the Empress, the whole of the vast garden is 
now suddenly illuminated. This takes place as by enchantment. 
With lightning speed the countless flames ascend from the lowest 



30 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

branches to the very topmost sprigs of the trees. In /ess than a 
quarter of an hour, park and garden appear in a blaze. The wa- 
ters of the fountains plash and ripple over steps which seem to 
burn. Lamps, ingeniously sheltered from extinction, gleam through 
the falling water, whose every drop glitters, diamond-like, with all 
the tints of the prism. Eye cannot behold a more striking and 
beautiful scene. The finest sight of all is the "Golden Staircase," 
next to the " Hercules," fountains with which even the Grandes Eaux 
at Versailles cannot be compared. And now imagine the effect of 
the monster illumination, reflected on all sides in the colossal cas- 
cades and waterworks, and in the adjacent arm of the sea ; 
imagine the melodious murmur of music, issuing from the palace, 
and mingled with the whizzing of rockets, with the booming of 
cannon from the vessels at Cronstadt, and with the joyous songs of 
countless groups, who, having selected spots for their bivouac, lie 
around the fires in various and picturesque attire. All these 
things combine to render this one of the most beautiful festivals 
that can be imagined. 

At ten o'clock the ball ends ; after which the court usually take 
a little drive on a sort of long droschkis (jaunting cars). On their 
return in-doors, the lights in the palace are suddenly extinguished. 
Gradually the walks are deserted by the promenaders, who estab- 
lish themselves for the night under tents or beneath waggons, or 
round great watch-fires ; departing with the first dawn, by land 
and by water, to their respective homes. Thus ends the great 
holiday at Peterhof, unquestionably one of the grandest and most 
agreeable of popular festivals. 

Next to the Peterhof festival, there are few things better worth 
visiting than a review at St. Petersburg. One is usually held every 
spring by the Emperor, before his departure for the country, on the 
Champ de Mars. This " Field of Mars" is an immense plain situ- 
ated between the summer garden and the barracks of the foot- 
guards, towards the north, hard by the Treutzky bridge, and will 
contain with ease eighty thousand men, who there defile before the 
Emperor. He who has derived his sole knowledge of the Russian 
soldier from the sort of accounts usually given in German papers, 
will be astonished at sight of these pattern troops. More thorough 



MILITARY REVIEW. 31 

soldiers are not to be found. Their bodies are inured to hardship, 
their discipline is the strictest and most exact, in the practice of 
their profession they are zealous and earnest. Uniformity of dress 
and equipment is carried out in the minutest details; that of the 
cavalry, espescially with respect to the horses, has no parallel in the 
world. One sees whole regiments of dragoons mounted on great 
strong black horses, all exactly the same height, without a single 
white hair, and so much alike as to be scarcely distinguishable from 
each other. The same is the case with other regiments, which 
ride all brown or all chesnut horses ; and I saw the same in a hus- 
sar regiment, mounted, to a man, on dapple greys. And then the 
Circassians, those models of- manly beauty — knightly figures, 
cased in steel, their features bronzed by the sun of their native 
mountains, their lofty forms lean but muscular, their dark eyes 
flashing from beneath their iron helms, their broad chests protected 
by shirts of mail, mounted upon horses which they cherish and 
watch over as they might a sister or child ; truly this corps is the 
very beau-ideal of all cavalry. The Circassian does not ride his 
horse to review or parade ; he has him led thither, lest his rider's 
weight should make him sweat. On the parade ground he is again 
rubbed down, his hoofs are painted black, and every speck of dust 
is carefully blown off his coat. Then only does the rider spring 
into his saddle, and easy is it to discern how proud he is of his 
steed and how proud his steed of him. Now off they set at a 
headlong gallop, over hedge and over ditch, and the same man 
who, a minute before, would have feared to injure his steed by too 
hard a pressure of hand or currycomb, spares him as little, until he 
again dismounts, as though he were riding the greatest screw under 
the sun. Yes ! those Circassians are the best cavalry in the world. 
And now behold that artillery, those horses and harness, the ele- 
gance and lightness of the gun-carriages and ammunition waggons, 
the accuracy of the exercises, the endurance and indefatigableness of 
the men, and their splendid discipline ! In this last particular all 
the Russian troops are alike, from the Cossacks, who, in obedience 
to orders, covered Eylau's bridge with their bodies, to the sentries 
at the burning Winter Palace, who, in defiance of the glowing heat, 
would not leave their posts until regularly relieved. I am less ao 



32 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

quainted with the troops of the line, and here speak only of the 
guards. These are, indeed, a picked and choice body of men. At 
the same time, it must be mentioned, they are admirably well cared 
for. Every man has his three complete uniforms, gets his meat, 
bread, and pay, and moreover his share of the artell, which greatly 
improves his diet. This means that, wherever troops are quartered 
for any length of time, certain tracts of land are allotted to their 
use. These they cultivate in their leisure hours, and grow potatoes 
and cabbages. By a very trifling subscription from' their pay they 
get a capital mess. They are also bound to contribute to the mess- 
fund a certain per-centage of whatever they earn by non-military 
services, such as appearing on the stage at theatres, in plays when 
soldiers are required, transporting furniture for people who are 
changing their houses, cutting wood, and so forth. These contri- 
butions swell the fund considerably, and conjointly with the pro- 
duce of the garden, afford them excellent meals. The Russian 
troops are exceedingly well nourished. 

Particular attention is paid to the lodging and cleanliness of the 
soldier, as well as to his food. The barracks at St. Petersburg are 
roomy, handsome, palace-like buildings, well suited to promote the 
health and comfort of their inmates. Almost superior to the bar- 
racks are the military hospitals, which combine arrangements ad- 
mirably adapting them to the purpose for which they are designed, 
with the most careful nursing and skilful medical treatment of the 
sick. There is no danger of negligence on the part of any of the 
officials there employed ; for they never know at what time the 
Emperor may surprise them by a visit, and that apprehension makes 
them zealous in their duty. Thus in illness, as in health, the 
soldiers are well cared for ; and as the garrison is very strong, the 
guard-duty is by no means oppressively severe. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PRIVATE HOUSES. 33 

CHAPTER IV. 

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PRIVATE HOUSES. 

THE arsenal and docks of Cronstadt must be included amongst 
the finest public works of St. Petersburg ; and after them the 
attention of the stranger is forcibly arrested by the multitude of 
splendid churches and public buildings of all kinds, the Winter 
Palace being prominent amongst the latter. I shall not weary my 
readers by a dry and detailed account of things which they may 
find better described in any guide-book. I will but pause a moment 
at the public hospitals, selecting especially that of Abuchow, which 
I had special opportunities of inspecting through the kindness of 
one of its directors, Counsellor Gotte, who was distinguished alike 
as physician, administrator, and man ; but who now, unhappily, is 
no more. These St. Petersburg hospitals strike the visitor so for- 
cibly at a first glance, by their extreme cleanliness and convenience, 
that he is unavoidably prepossessed with a most favourable idea of 
the treatment experienced there by the sick. This treatment is, in- 
deed, so excellent, the care and attendance so first-rate, that I do not 
hesitate earnestly to advise such strangers as may be thrown upon 
their own resources in St. Petersburg — living at hotels or in fur- 
nished apartments — to take refuge, in case of illness, in one of the 
public hospitals. There, at a very reasonable rate, they may obtain 
a room and attendance for themselves, such as they assuredly could 
not obtain — especially the attendance — in any other way. Whilst 
speaking of hospitals, I must not omit to mention an establishment 
which, above all others, excited my strong sympathy. This is a 
private hospital for complaints of the eyes and ears. It belongs to 
Dr. Charles Frederick Strauch, a physician celebrated for his skill in 
the treatment of those classes of disease, and who may be styled, 
with strict justice, the Kramer of St. Petersburg. Dr. Strauch, a 
man of property and high reputation, who is frequently sent for to 
Moscow, and even as far as Kiew, to perform important operations, 
and who has an immense practice at St. Petersburg, founded this 
hospital out of his own private means, and devoted two-thirds of the 
2* 



34 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

accommodation it contains to poor sick persons, who are there taken 
care of without charge. If we bear in mind that, at St. Petersburg, 
most complaints have a tendency, in consequence of the great dust 
in summer, to fall upon the eyes, and that ear-diseases are nowhere 
more plentiful than amongst the lower classes of Russians — a con- 
sequence of the lavish and imprudent use of vapour-baths, — there is 
no difficulty in believing that the free places in this hospital are con- 
stantly full, and that a host of applicants are always down for the 
first vacancies. The patients are supplied not only with medical ad- 
vice and with medicine, but also with attendance, fire and light, food 
and drink, and even with linen, and with books to read, all gratis. 
Physicians get very highly paid at St. Petersburg ; but though the 
rooms reserved for patients who pay were constantly full, and though 
these patients remunerated their doctor at the highest rate, this still 
would far from suffice to cover even the larger part of the expense 
which the free places occasion. The hospital is situated in the Wos- 
nischensky, a perfectly healthy part of the city, where there is abun- 
dance of liodit and of fresh air. The cost of the medicines is lio-ht- 
ened to the founder of the hospital by his brother, the druggist, 
Alexander Strauch, vulgarly known as " Moses," whose pharmacy 
is at the corner of Balschoi-Mechansky and Garochovoy, and who 
has an agreement with his brother to supply him with drugs gratis, 
up to a certain amount, for the free portion of his hospital, he being 
paid for those consumed in the other portion. All honor to these 
worthy brothers, who thus nobly and unselfishly devote time, means, 
and talents, to their suffering fellow men ! And double honour is 
due to them, for they extend their benevolence without distinction 
of nations, to all, from whatsoever land they come, who need their 
aid. It does the heart good to be able to record such generosity 
and benevolence on the part of two of one's own countrymen. 

The style of building of the St. Petersburg houses is peculiar, 
very suitable, but expensive. Although building materials — stone, 
wood, iron, — are there infinitely cheaper than in Germany, houses 
yet cost much more. In St. Petersburg the owner of a stone house 
is looked upon as a man well off in the world. The term " stone," 
used as a distinction from " wooden," will soon fall into disuse, for 
in the heart of the city there are scarcely any wooden houses remain- 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PRIVATE HOUSES. 35 

ing, and in streets more distant from the centre they will gradually 
quite disappear, substantial and extensive repairs of such houses 
being no longer permitted. "When these become necessary, the 
owners are bound to take down the houses and rebuild them of 
stone. The expensiveness of building arises from high wages, and 
from the great solidity of the buildings. St. Petersburg is built 
partly on swampy and partly on sandy ground ; houses of any size 
require, therefore, enormous foundations. When one reflects that, 
a century ago, a bottomless morass existed where now stands the 
mighty Kasansky Cathedral, a morass which swallowed whole for- 
ests of trees before the erection of so colossal a monument could be 
ventured upon, one marvels at the boldness of the mind which could 
plan and carry out the erection of such a city on such a spot. Even 
as the idea of its foundation originated with Peter the Great, so was 
he also the animating spirit at the carrying out of the plan. He 
resolved to found an immense commercial city, a second Amsterdam ; 
he would have his merchantmen, freighted in India, discharge their 
cargoes in the heart of his capital at the door of his merchants' 
warehouses. Direct from the vessel's hold should the bales of rich 
eastern produce be craned up into the store. With this view did he 
plan the three broad and proportionably deep canals which intersect 
St. Petersburg in every direction. During their construction the 
Czar made a journey to Holland ; on his return he went, with Men- 
zikoff, to whom the superintendence of the works had been intrusted, 
to inspect their progress. On reaching the " Blue Bridge," where 
now stands the Duke of Leuchtenberg's recently erected magnificent 
palace, he found himself deceived in his expectations. The whole 
design of the canals was completely spoiled, all his grand plans 
knocked upon the head. Foaming with rage, but without a word 
of reproach, he grasped his inseparable companion, his trusty dubina 
and vigorously applied the cane to his minister's shoulders until he 
was fain to give over from pure exhaustion. The minister stood 
erect and immovable to receive his thrashing from his angry mas- 
ter. When Peter's fury had cooled down a little, he resigned him- 
self to what could not be helped ; embraced Menzikoff and kissed 
him, in sign of reconciliation, upon both cheeks ; after which they 
got into their carriage and drove away. The gaping populace, who 



36 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG, 

had witnessed this startling although not unprecedented scene, at 
once gave to the spot upon which it had occurred the name of the 
" Kiss Bridge," and such is the popular mode of styling the bridge 
even at the present day. 

Although Peter's grand project with respect to the canals was 
thus frustrated, they nevertheless are a great ornament to the city, 
and an important assistance to traffic and trade. It is, in point of 
salubrity however, that they are of the greatest value. They drain 
off the moisture from the marshy soil, and it is owing to them that 
St. Petersburg is so healthy a place to live in. 

When new houses are built, the authorities exercise the utmost 
vigilance to see that the foundations are properly laid. If the obli- 
gation of deep and massive foundations considerably augments the 
cost of building in St. Petersburg, a still heavier expense is incurred 
by the necessity of making the walls of great thickness. With the 
thin walls of Germany one could not exist in a St. Petersburg house. 
Russian walls are at least four times as thick as ours. The same 
remark applies to the iron work, which in Russia is wrought very 
elegantly, but also of great strength and durability. The possessors 
of wooden houses exchange them but very unwillingly for stone ones ; 
setting aside the difference of cost, the former are warmer and more 
comfortable. This seems incredible, but such is the fact. The in- 
terstices of the timbers in wooden houses are so tightly stopped with 
moss, which is also stuffed in behind the well-papered wainscots, that 
the thickest stone walls cannot compare with them for warmth. For 
duration, of course, there can be no doubt on which side the advan- 
tage is, and the risk of fire constitutes the strongest of all arguments 
against the wooden houses. 

Building being so expensive in St. Petersburg, the government 
steps in to the aid of private enterprise. If a builder has but the 
means to get the roof on a house, he may then have an estimate 
made, according to the plan he has drawn out, of the value of the 
house when it shall be complete, and may obtain from the crown, 
as an advance, two-thirds of the amount. These two-thirds often 
exceed the sum he has as yet laid out upon the building. He binds 
himself to pay annually four per cent, interest and four per cent, of 
ine capital until extinction of the debt, the said interest and instal 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PRIVATE EG USES. 37 

ment being all along calculated on the amount of the original loan, 
so that, if the payments are regularly made, the whole debt is can- 
celled in about twenty years. In this manner many industrious 
men, especially Germans, have enriched themselves; for if they 
have a business or employment sufficient to live upon, and a very 
small sum wherewith to begin building, they easily obtain sufficient 
credit to build the walls of the house and get the roof on them. 
These debts they then pay off by means of the government advance, 
and, the house once complete, the rent they draw from it enables 
thorn to pay interest and instalments, which together amount only 
to eight per cent. The taxes are barely one per cent. ; during the 
first twenty years of a house's existence no important repairs are re- 
quired ; and it must be a badly-letting house indeed that does not 
yield, in any moderately good situation, at least ten per cent, on the 
capital expended. * 

Amongst the best and richest shops in St. Petersburg are pro- 
vision shops — somewhat resembling our Italian warehouses — where 
an immense variety of edibles and potables, the choicest spices and 
most expensive wines, delicacies of every kind, as well as butter, 
cheese, and other common articles of consumption, are exposed for 
sale. Goods to the amount of many millions of rubles, are heaped 
up in these shops, most of whose keepers, themselves millionnaires i 
are serfs of Count Scheremetiew, in whose name the business is 
carried on, since by Eussian law no serf can trade. When they 
began business they were aided by the count's money and credit, 
and in return they pay an annual poll-tax, in like manner with the 
serfs who till the ground, and with those who, by their owner's per- 
mission, take service or employment in the towns. Five rubles 
(four or five shillings) was the yearly sum they paid, when they first 
set up their shops, for each male— women being exempt from the 
impost. They pay the same and no more now that they roll in 
wealth, inhabit sumptuous mansions, and drive in elegant carriages. 

By the Russian laws every female serf is free as soon as married 
to a free man ; on the other hand, marriage with a serf entails serf- 
dom on a free woman. On a certain day one of Count Schereme- 
tiew's rich bondsmen appeared before his lord to petition for the 
freedom of a son. The young man was in love with a poor but free 



38 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

maiden, who returned his affection, but who would not sacrifice her 
liberty to her love. The father offered eighty thousand rubles as 
the price of his son's happiness. The count accepted, and desired 
his vassal to produce the money. In an instant it was paid over. 
Letters of emancipation were forthwith drawn up, and the count 
delivered them to the delighted father, with the words, " You must 
let me be the bride's man." When, in this capacity, the count had 
conducted the bride from the altar to her husband's house, and had 
handed her, according to Russian custom, upon a silver waiter, the 
first glass of champagne, he presented to her, as a bridal gift, a 
bouquet of fresh flowers, skilfully arranged round a small packet 
containing the eighty thousand rubles. It was his pride to have 
wealthy men as serfs, but their wealth had no attractions for him. 

In warm weather, refuge from the noise, and dust, and from the 
exhalations of the canals, is sought in the numerous villas that sur- 
round St. Petersburg on all sides. It is rather remarkable that the 
finest of these country residences and gardens are all to the north of 
the city. This, however, is explicable by the situation of the nume- 
rous islands formed by the various arms of the Neva as it flows 
northwards from St. Petersburg. The nearest agreeable summer 
abode is Apothecary's Island, not far from and on the way to Kam- 
menoje-Ostrow, and at a distance of about three versts from the 
Isaac's Bridge. A vast number of delightful gardens and villas, and 
of admirably arranged hot-houses, give an enchanting aspect to this 
island. Separated from it by an arm of the Neva is Kammenoje- 
Ostrow, the most magnificent of all the islands, in respect both of 
parks and buildings. Here, close upon the river's bank, stands the 
summer palace of the Grand Duchess Helena, widow of the lament- 
ed Grand Duke Michael. It is surrounded by a fine garden, which, 
however, like her garden in St. Petersburg, is not open to the pub- 
lic. Kammenoje-Ostrow also boasts of a very pretty theatre, in 
which, during the residence of the court, the French company give 
frequent performances, an honour which is not accorded to any other 
theatrical company. 

Quitting Kammenoje-Ostrow, one reaches, — the road lying 
partly through a very agreeable park, — the property of the Countess 
Stroganoff, which bears her name. Two fine buildings, in the 



P TJBLIG B UILD1NGS AND PEIVA TE HO USES. 39 

Gothic style of architecture, stand in the midst of a garden, at 
no great distance from the high road, whence they have a very 
beautiful appearance. Before my journey to St. Petersburg, I heard 
a great deal of the celebrated Stroganoff gardens, but with the ex- 
ception of this one, I was never able to discover any. 

The Stroganoffs are not only one of the most illustrious of 
Russian noble families, but they are also enormously rich, have vast 
estates and a very considerable number of serfs, with which latter 
they are extremely fortunate. True it is, that this family have the 
custom to treat their serfs with particular care, to educate them well, 
and to foster every indication of talent that manifests itself amongst 
them. One of the consequences of this is that almost all the inspec- 
tors, accountants, overseers, &c, of the surrounding estates are their 
serfs, and sre such faithful and trustworthy servants, that the 
property under their care is distinguished before most others for 
prosperity and good management. The most careful education can- 
not confer genius, but it ma} 7 " sometimes assist its development ; and 
for at least one man of genius, the world is indebted to the serfs of 
the Stroganoff family. The architect who drew the plan of one of 
the most remarkable buildings in St. Petersburg was a serf of Count 
Stroganoff 's, who gave him his liberty as a recognition of his rare 
talent. 

The edifice in question is no other than the Kasansky, the 
cathedral of the Holy Virgin of Kasan. It is a very astonishing, 
and indeed one of the most imposing, buildings of its class. Two 
circular colonnades, similar to those in front of St. Peter's at Rome, 
lead to the entrance of the church, which is adorned with colossal 
statues. In the interior of the cathedral are fifty-six columns, each 
one of which is hewn out of a single block of dark marble, and 
beautifully polished. They are fifty-two feet high, and the Corin- 
thian capitals surmounting them are beautifully carved and richly 
gilt. In corresponding taste are all the other ornaments of the 
church. Walls and flooring are of polished marble, and the various 
pictures are adorned with a profusion of precious stones really daz- 
zling to the eyes. Prominent amongst them is the picture of 
the Virgin and Child, which is literalry covered with diamonds, 
sapphires, and emeralds of the rarest beauty. This picture, to 



40 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

which the church is indebted for its name, was brought from Kasan 
to Moscow by command of Ivan Vasiliewitsch. Peter the Great 
carried it away from Moscow to adorn his new capital, which 
he placed under its guardianship and protection. The treasures of 
this church would alone suffice to cover the cost of six Hungarian 
campaigns. 

If we seriously contemplate and minutely examine this sublime 
piece of architecture, and call to mind that not only all its materials 
are extracted from the soil of Russia, but also that it is pure Rus- 
sian art and industry, unaided by foreign hands, which have execu- 
ted the great work, we shall feel disposed to judge, more justly than 
is often done, both the country and its people, and to abate some- 
what of any preconceived notions we may have formed of their 
barbarous condition. 

At no great distance from the Kasansky, at the end of the Per 
spective, upon a vast open square which derives its name from the 
church in its centre, stands another still more imposing, really gi 
gantic monument, one of the greatest and most spacious upon the 
face of the earth, namely, the Isaac's Church. I abstain from re- 
peating, with respect to this building, details which hundreds o 
travellers have already published ; the object of these pages is to 
sketch manners and customs ; I refer to monuments only when they 
have some bearing upon these, and in reference to the impression 
they made upon me. I cannot, however, abstain from a few brief re- 
marks on this architectural wonder. It owes its existence to a flash 
of lightning, which laid in ashes a church that Peter the Great 
had built upon the very spot now adorned by the holy synod. To 
replace the loss, Catherine II. laid, at a short distance from the 
burned building, the foundation-stone of the Isaac's Church. The 
first plans for it were drawn out by the Italian architect Rinladi : 
the mere foundation and preparatory labors consumed an immense 
time and many millions. After Catherine's death, the Emperor 
Paul hit upon an ingenious idea. That it might be the sooner and 
more cheaply finished, he proposed to complete it with bricks. Ra- 
pidly now did the building proceed ; but not nearly so rapidly as it 
was pulled down to the very foundation when, on the eve of its 
completion, the deficiencies and want of harmony of the structure 



THE WINTER PALACE. 41 

were at last discerned. A committee was then formed for the ex- 
press purpose of managing the matter, and consumed several years 
in deliberation, without coming to any agreement as to the mode 
in which the building should be carried out. At last, in 1819, the 
Emperor Alexander sent for Montferrand, the architect ; who, to my 
own knowledge, was still busily engaged upon the building in the 
year 1845. True it is that the Emperor Nicholas pressed hard for 
all possible acceleration of the work ; but even his energy and in- 
fluence failed to bring to a conclusion this fat architectural job ; 
which was, doubtless, too lucrative to those engaged in it not to be 
by them protracted to the utmost. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE WINTER PALACE. 

FROM the sacred to the profane is but a step ; let us take it, and 
we find ourselves in the Winter Palace, which, in its own par- 
ticular style, is not a bit less magnificent than the imposing cathe- 
dral. An English author has declared his opinion that the trouble 
of a journey to St. Petersburg is well repaid by the sight of this 
palace, with which scarcely any other in Europe will bear compari- 
son. And I cannot do otherwise than coincide in this opinion ; — so 
long, that is to say, as the person undertaking the journey resides 
at no immoderate distance from the Russian capital. 

This palace, of extraordinary extent, was built by Count Ras- 
trelli for the Empress Elizabeth. In 1*754 she laid the foundation 
stone of the colossal fabric. Eight years later, in the year of her 
death, it was completed. 

Rising majestically upon the bank of the Neva, the building 
gives its name to the quay in its front, which, however, is more 
commonly known as the Court Quay. The principal facade of the 
enormous palace has fifty-three windows, is 470 feet long, 380 feet 
deep, and *76 feet high. It consists of three stories, is of the form 
of a long square, and its imposing aspect is not a little heightened 



42 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

by ten superb pillars rising above the portal, and by finely formed 
statues, which, however, are only of plaster of Paris, whereas the 
balustrades are of beautiful marble. 

Surprising is the spectacle that presents itself on entering from 
the side of the Neva this residence of the Czars. Here is the great 
entrance, including a marble staircase, whose like might in vain be 
sought. It leads to the first story, devoted entirely to court cere- 
monies. Here saloon succeeds saloon, each vaster and more mag- 
nificent than its predecessor. I will confine myself to naming the 
Golden Saloon (the Empress's reception-room), the White Saloon, 
reached through a gallery containing a series of excellent portraits 
of the imperial marshals, from Roumiantzoff to Paskewitsch, and 
connected with the Throne Saloon, or St. George's Hall, which for 
grandeur and beauty surpasses everything that Europe's palaces can 
show. 

Whoever has enjoyed an opportunity of seeing these apartments 
lighted up, and of witnessing one of the sumptuous festivals occa- 
sionally held in them, will assuredly acquit me of exaggeration when 
I say that the sight carried me back to the fairy-tale days of my 
boyhood, and that I fancied myself transported into one of the en- 
chanted scenes of the Thousand and One Nights. 

I have already given a detailed account of the Perterhof festival ; 
how it ends with a ball, to which all the world, without distinction 
of persons or ranks, finds admission. In like manner, on every New 
Year's day, a popular ball takes place in the Winter Palace, and is 
graced by the presence of the whole court. The Emperor and Em- 
press mingle freely with the motley and heaving throng, and are 
lost in the vast assemblage. Only with difficulty do they make 
their way to the dance through the densely crowded saloons. Had 
Nicholas anything to fear from his subjects, here were the place 
where he would be in real danger, for so great is the crush around 
him that it was only by the utmost efforts I avoided being squeezed 
bodily against him. In such a moment of close proximity I gazed 
hard at the Emperor, seeking to read upon his countenance the 
dominant emotions of his mind. None others could I trace than 
the perfect tranquillity and cheerful contentment of a father of a 
family, when surrounded by his children, in full enjoyment of a 



THE WINTER PALACE. 43 

festival of his preparation. And heartily have I since laughed — 
less, however, at the absurd story than at the utter ignorance it 
showed of the real feelings of the Russian people — when reading in 
certain German papers how, on the occasion of the Silver Wedding * 
of the illustrious pair, the Emperor was just about to seat himself 
upon the throne at the Peterhof ball, when Prince Wolkonsky for- 
tunately pulled him back, only just in time, for the very next mo- 
ment hundreds of dagger blades, moved by hidden mechanism, 
would have been propelled from the seat, back, and arms of the 
chair, and have sheathed themselves in the body of Nicholas. It 
so happened that I was present at that joyous feast at Peterhof. 
There was no throne in the room at all, and the daggers existed 
only in the diseased imaginations of the inventors of the tale. 

If the interior of the Winter Palace combines all that it be 
possible to conceive of magnificence, taste, luxury, and splendour, it 
yet is perhaps surpassed by the view from the windows on three of 
its sides. 

The principal front faces the south, and commands a view over 
the Kaiser-Platz, or Emperor's Square, in whose centre rises the 
glorious Alexander Column. This colossal memorial reminds one 
of the most stupendous monuments of antiquity ; probably it is 
hitherto unsurpassed ; at any rate, it is a higher pillar than either 
Pompey's or Trajan's. It consists of a single granite block, and 
weighs 17,640 cwt. The pedestal, in due proportion to the height 
and circumference of the column, is also a solid block of granite, 
and both were hewn out of the quarries of Pytterlaxe, a village on 
the Gulf of Finland, one and twenty German miles from St. Peters- 
burg. On the apex of the column hovers an angel of extraordinary 
beauty, with head depressed, the cross in one hand, and the other 
pointing to heaven. Pity it is that on two sides, when you con- 
template this lovely statue from a distance, the head can hardly be 
seen at all ; only on a near approach does the beholder discern all 
the beauty and perfection of the work. The story goes that Louis 
Philippe of France, in the days of his greatest power and prosperity, 

* " Silver Wedding. — The twenty- fifth anniversary of marriage, celebrated 
by rejoicings and entertainments. — T. 



44 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

applied to the Emperor Nicholas for a similar column out of his 
Finland quarries. The Emperor begged to be excused. " He would 
not," he said, " send him a smaller one ; a similar one he could not 
send him ; and a greater was not to be obtained." 

It is much to be regretted that this splendid monolith is already 
cracked. 

Opposite to the pillar stands the fine building, with beautiful 
arcades, and bronze decorations, occupied by the military staff. To 
the west, one looks across the great parade ground to the Admiralty, 
the Isaac's Square, and its lofty church. The view to the north I 
never saw but in winter, from Prince Wolkonsky's reception-room ; 
but never did any sight more surprise and powerfully impress me. 
That immeasurable field of ice, with islands sharply defined upon 
its level surface ; Wasili-Ostrow, with its magnificent Exchange ; the 
Academy, with its sphinxes, pillars, and statues ; the citadel, the 
Petersburg and the Wiburg shores, with their snow-covered towers 
and roofs ; the whole vast landscape wrapped in winter's garment ; 
the innumerable columns of smoke rising on all sides, and telling 
of the dense population of the seemingly solitary plain ; and then 
the swift sledges, darting to and fro, and suddenly disappearing like 
the figures in a dream ; — altogether the winter landscape was the 
most beautiful that could well be seen. 

His Excellency kept me waiting a tolerably long time for the 
honour of an interview ; but truly I could have waited much longer 
without finding the time hang heavy. I have never been a haunter 
of the ante-chambers of the great ; but if all commanded so agree- 
able a view, I should cease to wonder that such dancing of attend- 
ance is so much in vogue. 

From the eastern side of the palace, only the Hermitage is to be 
seen, to which a close, covered gallery leads. 

The crown and sceptre, and other state jewels, are kept in the 
Winter Palace. 

If this imperial residence combines all that can be imagined 
of brilliancy, splendour, wealth, taste, and elegance, on the other 
hand, the conveniences it affords to its inmates, except in the 
case of the very highest personages, are extremely limited. The 
whole first story of the immense pile is unoccupied, — consisting en- 



THE WINTER PALACE. 45 

tirely of the vast apartments reserved for court festivals and cere- 
monies. The basement floor contains the kitchen and the lodgings 
of the innumerable servants. The entresol is for the higher officials. 
The second floor is inhabited by the imperial family, including the 
ladies of the court and great officers of the palace. Altogether, the 
roof covers more than twelve hundred persons. As far as height 
goes, there is plenty of room, but the breadth is scanty enough. 
And what makes it scantier still is that, in the centre of the second 
floor, one steps out of one of the apartments into a tolerably spacious 
garden ! This is certainly an agreeable surprise. Pleasant is it, 
whilst a northern winter frowns around, to wander in an artificial 
climate, and in the shadow of tropical plants. But the luxury in- 
fringes terribly on the area of the house ; so that even the minister 
Wolkonsky possesses, besides a very handsome reception-room, only 
a few very small chambers. It is a usual characteristic of the Rus- 
sian style of building — a characteristic which pointedly indicates 
the national quality of vanity, — that in all houses, even in those 
occupied by the inferior classes of citizens, the principal, most agree- 
able, and important apartment is appropriated to the purposes of a 
drawing-room. So long as this is spacious and handsome, the Rus- 
sian attaches little importance to the degree of comfort, or to the 
habitable condition, of the inferior apartments in which he passes 
his life. Thus does Prince Wolkonsky content himself, the whole 
year through, with his narrow little rooms, in which he also receives 
all visitors, except on grand reception-days; although he has, at no 
greater distance than the thickness of a wall, a splendid saloon, 
adorned with a piece of Gobelin tapestry of marvellous magnificence, 
a present from Charles X. Six or eight times in the year, this sa- 
loon is thrown open to a distinguished company ; that is all the 
use made of it. 

Through the covered gallery of the "Winter Palace already men- 
tioned, we reach the " Sans-Souci " of the great Catherine, the 
Hermitage, of her own building ; on entering which the Empress 
was wont to lay aside crown and sceptre, and appear as the witty 
and charming woman. Here, in her boudoir, she enjoyed her 
leisure, surrounded by a circle of men and women of sympathetic 
tastes and accomplishments. Here she held her soirees spirituelles r 



46 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSB TTRG. 

conversazioni, and reading parties ; here was her studio and work- 
shop, where she drew, engraved, and exercised the turner's craft. I 
will not weary the reader with a description of the gallery of two 
thousand pictures, including many master-pieces of almost every 
school down to our own day, nor with a detail of the collections of 
medals and engravings ; and I will but briefly mention the library, 
which contains upwards of a hundred thousand volumes; amongst 
them many unpublished manuscripts, and especially a copy of Vol- 
taire's works, proceeding from his own library, and enriched with 
marginal notes in his own writing— many of them exceedingly witty, 
and which have not found their way into any subsequent editions 
of his writings. Here also are preserved a quantity of turnery-w T are, 
very skilfully wrought by Catherine's own hand. These mechanical 
occupations seem to have been her favourite pastime. She turned 
a great deal, and engraved on cornelian, and frequently made pre- 
sents of these imperial productions to courtiers and learned men. 
King Stanislaus of Poland speaks in his memoirs with enthusiasm 
of the zeal with which the great woman pursued these trifling occu- 
pations, and mentions, amongst other things, a capital copy of a 
picture by Greuze, executed with such talent and artistic skill that 
it possessed every quality and perfection of the original. 

The Hermitage has had repeated additions made to it, and at 
the present time they are busy enlarging it. The present Emperor's 
well-known love of art is a guarantee that its contents also will be 
increased. He has already enriched it by various contributions, and 
especially by the addition of many admirable pictures to the gal 
lery. 

Such was the aspect of the Winter Palace in December, 183*7 
On a certain evening of that month, the court was witnessing a per- 
formance of the French company at the Michael's Theatre, when an 
aid-de-camp entered the imperial box and whispered to Prince Wol- 
konsky, one of the ministers there present. The prince gave him 
orders, and continued to look quietly on at the performance. Half- 
an-hour later the aid-de-camp returned, and this time the Prince, 
after listening to him, spoke to the Emperor, who rose, gave his arm 
to his wife, and conducted her to her carriage. The coachman re- 
ceived orders to drive to the Anitchkoff Palace instead of to the 



TEE WINTER PALACE 47 

Winter Palace. The Emperor mounted a horse that was in waiting 
for him, and galloped to the Winter Palace. There was a terrible 
crowd and crushing in the streets ; half St. Petersburg was on foot ; 
it was as light as day, and flames roared up into the sky : the Win- 
ter Palace was on fire. 

A terrible sight awaited the Emperor. The cradle of his child- 
hood stood in a sea of fire. From every window of the facade the 
flames flared furiously upwards ; from that side nothing could be 
distinguished of the whole upper portion of the building ; but high, 
high in the air glimpses were occasionally caught of gigantic 
figures towering above the flames and rocking on their lofty pinna- 
cles. These were the allegorical figures which decorated the sum- 
mit of the roof, and which the flames actually spared ; blackened, 
but otherwise uninjured, they passed through that terrible confla- 
gration. 

The Emperor gallopped round the building* to look after his 
sentries. The precaution was not superfluous ; on the western side 
two soldiers were near falling victims to the fire ; in the general 
confusion those whose duty it was had forgotten to relieve them, 
and there they stood, notwithstanding the frightful heat, musket on 
shoulder and resigned to their fate. The Emperor relieved them 
himself, and pressed forward into the palace; at a glance he saw 
that the whole must soon fall in, and he hastened into the rooms 
where the danger seemed greatest, to call out the men who were 
saving the furniture. At his command everybody fled from the 
building, with the exception of four workmen who had received or- 
ders to save an enormous mirror, and who would not leave the palace 
without it. The Emperor drew his sword, and with one blow of the 
hilt shivered the glass. Scarcely had the last man passed the 
threshold, when the roof fell in with a terrible crash. Having satis- 
fied himself that no more lives were in danger, Nicholas hurried to 
the Empress at the Anitchkoff Palace. 

The Empress had recovered from her first alarm. She was tired, 
and when she had seen her husband, she asked, with some uneasi- 
ness, where she was to pass the night. Her secretary, the privy- 
councillor Chambeau, begged permission to conduct her to the sleep- 
ing-room that had been hastily prepared for her. There she found, 



48 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

to her great astonishment, through the delicate attention of an at- 
tached servant — her sleeping apartment out of the Winter Palace, 
with its thousand little comforts and conveniences ; everything in 
the same place and order as if it had remained untouched since she 
last dressed herself. When the fire had reached that wingr of the 
palace (and it spread with tremendous rapidity), Chambeau hastened 
to the boudoir with a dozen servants and muschiks. " All here be- 
longs to the Empress ?" he cried, " not a thing must be broken !" 
and in aprons, baskets, pockets, were carried away all those thou- 
sand-and-one costly nicknacks — clocks, vases, boxes, and ornaments 
— without which such a boudoir could not be complete. Without 
the slightest injury they were carried out of the burning palace and for 
half-a-league through the heaving throng that filled the streets ; and 
when Chambeau had arranged everything as it was in its former 
place, the locality alone was changed ; all things seemed to stand 
where they had been left — not a riband was crumpled nor a sheet 
of paper soiled. I doubt there being many masters in Germany 
who are so well and so quickly served. 

The next day the Emperor returned to the scene of destruction* 
Within the walls the fire still raged. It had been allowed to burn 
on, whilst all efforts were directed to saving the Hermitage, fortu- 
nately with complete success. 

Long gazed Nicholas in deep sorrow at the grave of one of the 
prime ornaments of his beautiful city. At last he raised his head, 
passed his hand over his brow, and said, quite cheerfully, " This day 
year will I again sleep in my room in the Winter Palace. Who 
undertakes the building V 

All present recoiled from the challenge. There stood around 
the Emperor many competent judges in such matters, but not one 
had the courage to undertake that which seemed impossible. There 
was a brief pause, and then General Kleinmichael, an aide-de-camp 
of the Emperor's, stepped forward and said, like the Duke of Alba 
to Don Philip, " I will." 

" And the building is to be complete in a year ?" as^ed th§ 
Emperor. 

" Yes, Sire." 

"'Tisgood! Set to work!" 



THE WINTER PALACE. 49 

An hour later the still burning ruins were being cleared away. 
The destruction of the building had occurred in December, 1837; 
by December, 1838, it was rebuilt. Three months later it was 
occupied by the court. 

Kleinmichael had kept his word ; the building was completed, 
completed in the time specified ! but — at what a price ! ! Only in 
Russia was such a wonderful work possible ; only in Russia, where 
the will of the " Master" is a decree of Providence ; only in Russia, 
where they spare nothing, recoil from nothing, to fulfil his com- 
mands. 

Under the Empress Elizabeth the palace had taken eight years 
to build ; Kleinmichael completed it in one. True it is that almost 
the whole of the masonry resisted the fire, but the whole of the 
interior had to be reconstructed ; and what a task that was ! The 
work went on literally day and night ; there was no pause for meals ; 
the gangs of workmen relieved each other. Festivals were un- 
heeded ; the seasons themselves were overcome. To accelerate the 
work, the building was kept, the winter through, artificially heated 
to the excessive temperature of twenty -four to twenty-six degrees 
Reaumur. Many workmen sank under the heat, and were carried 
out dead or dying ; a painter, who was decorating a ceiling, fell 
from his ladder struck with apoplexy. Neither money, health, nor 
life was spared. The Emperor, who, at the time of the conflagra- 
tion, had risked his own life by penetrating into the innermost 
apartments to save the lives of others, knew nothing of the means 
employed to carry out his will. In the December of the following 
year, and in a proud consciousness of his power, he entered the 
resuscitated palace and rejoiced over his work. The whole was 
constructed on the previous plan, but with some improvements and 
many embellishments. With the Empress on his arm, and followed 
by his whole family, he traversed the apartments of this immense 
building, completed in one year's time, by the labour of thousands 
of men.. He reached the saloon of St. George, the largest and most 
beautiful of all, and the royal family remained there longer than 
anywhere else, examining the costly gold mouldings of the ceiling, 
the five colossal bronze chandeliers, and the beautiful relievo over 
the throne, which represents St. George slaying the dragon. Tho 
3 



50 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

Empress was tired, and would have sat down ; — the patron spirit of 
Russia prevented her : as yet there was no furniture in the hall, so 
she leaned upon the Emperor's arm and walked into the next room, 
followed by the entire retinue. The last of these had scarcely passed 
through the door, when a thundering crash resounded through the 
palace, which trembled to its very foundations, and the air was 
darkened by clouds of dust. The timbers of the ceiling of the 
saloon of St. George had yielded to the weight of the chandeliers, 
and the whole had fallen in, crushing every thing beneath its enor- 
mous mass. The saloon, a moment before so brilliant, was a heap of 
ruins. The splendid palace was again partly destroyed, but the 
genius of Russia had watched over her destiny — the imperial family 
was saved. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



AMONGST the numerous and magnificent public buildings 
which constitute so striking a feature of the Russian capital, 
there is one class, to which I have not yet referred, which must not 
be forgotten. Besides the imperial palaces, the churches, the build- 
ings appropriated to the use of the admiralty, the military staff, and 
the senates; besides the theatres, barracks, and so forth, the educa- 
tional establishments deserve special mention. Their annual cost 
to the State amounts to a sum such as Russia only could afford for 
such a purpose. The immense expense can be understood only by 
calling to mind that Louis XIVs saying, " EEtat cest moi /" is 
also that of the Emperor, who takes as much care of the State as he 
could do of his own person. Besides the various civil and military 
schools, those of the Mining and Forest Corps are excellent educa- 
tional institutions for youth. These two remarkable and palace- 
like buildings are provided with everything that can contribute to 
the health and comfort of their inmates ; and the treatment of the 
scholars completely fulfils the high expectations which the imposing 
exterior of the edifice is calculated to awaken. There is no great 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 51 

difficulty in obtaining the admission of l*us. The interest of the 
State is the main object kept in view ; and the State, it is considered, 
cannot have too many able servants. From the day of his entrance 
into these corps, every material and moral want of the pupil is fully 
supplied, not only until his education is completed, but in some 
sort for his whole life. By the fact of his entrance into one of 
these schools, he becomes bound to serve the State a certain num- 
ber of years. This includes a reciprocal obligation on the part of 
government to provide the young man, when his term of service is 
expired, with a suitable position. The system of education in 
these corps is, as in the Polytechnic School at Paris, entirely mili- 
tary. It is usual in Kussia for every government servant to hold 
military rank. From this arrangement springs an official aristo- 
cracy, which, in social estimation and value, is far superior to the 
aristocracy of birth. The official aristocracy occupy an important 
middle station between the nobles by birth and the burgher classes. 
In addition to the imperial educational establishments already exist- 
ing, the Duke of Oldenburgh founded, some twelve or fourteen 
years ago,* a school of law, which, under his auspices, has had the 
happiest results. It has sent forth a large number of legal officials, 
who enjoy, especially by reason of their incorruptibility, the high 
respect of the nation. There can be no higher recommendation of such 
an official, nor one tending to inspire greater confidence in him, than 
to have been educated at the Oldenburgh legal school. Stimulated 
by the success of this undertaking, in the year 1840 the noble duke 
founded, at Kalomeja, nine versts from St. Petersburg, a school of 
agriculture, which has also been signally successful. The young 
men who there receive theoretical and practical instruction in the 
various branches of farming are sent, after completing the course, 
to distant provinces of the empire. There, installed as teachers of 
government officers, they exercise an advantageous influence on the 
progress of agriculture. Of such institutions there are several in the 
country ; but that which advantageously distinguishes those of the 
Duke of Oldenburgh above them, is their superior moral standing, 

* It may here be proper to remind the reader that, although Mr. Jerrmann's 
book was first published in the year 1851, some of its chapters had been written 
several years earlier. — T. 



52 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

and the circumstance that they annually send forth a number of 
young officials whose incorruptibility has become proverbial ; assur- 
edly a great benefit for a country where there is by no means a 
superfluity of that virtue. 

The public schools — called corps in Russia — are under the 
special protection, and indeed, it may be said, under the personal 
superintendence, of the Emperor. By day and by night, they are 
never safe from his domiciliary visits. Often does Nicholas rise in 
the middle of the night from the iron camp bed upon which he in- 
variably reposes, get into his one-horse droschki, and make a soli- 
tary tour of inspection of the various public schools. Not unfre- 
quently he goes forth on foot, and takes the first vehicle he finds 
plying for hire in the street. Thus it was that upon a certain 
snowy night an Istworstschik drove him in his sledge to a remote 
quarter of the city. The sledge had long to wait for him, and 
when the Emperor returned and, before getting in, would have paid 
the driver, he found that he had no money about him. The grin- 
ning; Istworstschik declared that was not of the least conse- 
quence, and when the Czar, throwing himself into the sledge, ab- 
sently called out "Na domo !" [Home!), the man drove his little 
Finland horse full trot to the Winter Palace, in whose immediate 
neighbourhood he suddenly stopped, and looked inquiringly round 
at his fare. The Emperor got out, rather surprised, ordered him to 
come to the same place on the following evening, and asked him, 
as he walked away : " Do you know me ?" A sly " No" was the 
reply, and the next evening the sledge-driver received princely 
payment — less, assuredly, for his readiness to give credit than for 
his cunning discretion. 

At these nocturnal visits to the schools, rigid investigations take 
place. The Emperor's first glance on entering the corridor is at the 
thermometer ; and woe betide those who are responsible, if it does 
not stand at the prescribed fourteen degrees. Then he visits all the 
rooms, to see if there be everywhere light, and if the officers on 
duty be vigilant. The beds of the scholars are next examined ; 
the Emperor pulls off the bed-clothes, and, holding a light in one 
hand, with the other he turns the children from side to side, strictly 
investigating the cleanliness of the linen, and of their persons. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 53 

Often, in order to try bodily strength, he challenges them to 
wrestle with him, and, for a stranger who should suddenly enter, it 
would certainly be no uninteresting sight to behold the despot of 
all the Russias, with five or six lads clinging to his gigantic form, 
and exerting their utmost strength to throw the ruler of forty mil- 
lions of men upon the floor. Henry IV.'s reply to the Spanish 
ambassador: "You are a father? Then I can continue my game!" 
has helped to fill all sorts of grammars and vademecums down to 
the present day ; of the paternal sports of the mightiest of Euro- 
pean potentates with lads who are total strangers to him, nothing is 
known but the wildest and most ridiculous tales that idleness and a 
rage for gossip ever engendered. In the intimate family circle of 
the Russian court these offspring of corrupt imaginations are often 
the subject of jest and laughter. In proof that these absurd and 
nonsensical fabrications have reached the ears of Nicholas himself, 
he one day said to the Viscount de Custine, when showing him the 
pupils of the public schools, whose healthy happy appearance 
struck every one : " Here are some of the youths of whom I de- 
vour a few every week ;" and Count Orloff, who just then came up 
and was presented to Custine, announced himself as " the famous 
poisoner." 

This casual mention of Viscount de Custine reminds me of his 
deplorable book, which, by its three editions, and by the nonsense 
they contained, achieved a momentary celebrity. I will not here 
dwell upon the contradictions and inconsistencies, or upon the per- 
sonal views and passionate prejudices with which the book abounds. 
I will limit myself to the simple and incontrovertible fact that M. 
de Custine undertook to place before the reading public a descrip- 
tion, in two thick octavo volumes, founded upon personal observa- 
tion, of the political and social condition of a country whose lan- 
guage and customs were totally unknown to him, which he had 
never before visited, and in which he sojourned for the long period 
of nearly three months. This was the whole time he had to get 
together the materials of his work ; and this time was taken up 
with visits, balls, concerts, theatres, parades, court festivals, and 
with trips to Moscow, Charkow, and, if I do not mistake, also to 
Kasan. Had the noble viscount, who, in the first volume of his 



54 P 10 TUBES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

bad book — written in St. Petersburg — fawned upon the Emperor 
like any lapdog, in hopes of obtaining the much desired amnesty 
for his Polish protege, and who, when these hopes were destroyed, 
filled his second volume with falsehoods and impure gossip concern- 
ing the very same sovereign — had the noble viscount, I say, passed 
his days in the streets and squares, in the public buildings, markets, 
taverns, and coffee-houses ; and had he, in the evening, instead of 
visiting brilliant soiries, sat down with his dwornik (an upper 
servant), and made him talk about the mode of life, the joys and 
sufferings of the Russian people, he would have learned much more 
that was true and worth knowing than in the coteries he frequented, 
and which took advantage of his thoroughly French love of gossip 
to impose upon him all sorts of ridiculous fables, such as it suited 
their purpose to propagate. Having once told them to the credu- 
lous viscount, their object was attained, and the inventions were 
sure of wide circulation. At that period it must have been a man 
of greater discernment and more decided character than M. de 
Custine not to be carried away by the stream of popular prejudice 
with regard to Russia, a prejudice then so strong that it led to the 
greatest personal injustice. This was the case not less in Germany 
— always imitative and eager to follow the fashion — than in France. 
Not long after the appearance of the work now referred to I re- 
turned to Germany from Russia, and met, on an October day, un- 
der the Linden at Berlin, a man honoured and esteemed by all who 
knew him, by reason of his rare talents, his learning, and his manly 
character, — namely, Counsellor Gretsch. I cannot describe his la- 
mentations when he saw me. " Good heavens !" he exclaimed, 
" you here and I knew it not ! How unfortunate ! What wretched 
days I have passed here !" And he was eloquent in his complaints 
of the contemptuous, mistrustful treatment he had encountered on 
all sides, and which he had been compelled to endure the whole 
time that his business, entirely of a literary and scientific nature, 
had detained him in Berlin. He had brought it to a close, and 
was going away the next day. In reply to my entreaty that he 
would remain a day longer, he assured me that nothing would in- 
duce him to delay his departure a single hour more than was abso- 
lutely necessary. He only wished, he said, that he might have the 



FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 55 

opportunity of welcoming many Berlin people at St. Petersburg, 
that they might form some faint idea of the way in which hospi- 
tality was understood and practised by the rude barbarians of the 
North. 

It was during the existence of this state of popular feeling that 
M. de Custine's book appeared, and excited a fleeting but for the 
time great and general interest. The work reached the Emperor's 
hands, and accident threw a copy in my way in which he had made 
red marks against the most striking passages. Whether the malice 
of some of these vexed him I know not ; but I think I can answer, 
of my own knowledge, for his having often heartily laughed at the 
nonsense and many absurdities the book contains. 



CHAPTER VII. 

FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 



THE richest and most considerable of the public institutions of 
St. Petersburg is the Foundling Hospital. Well endowed from 
its very first establishment, it owes its colossal wealth to the bounty 
and particular care of the late Empress Maria. Amongst other 
favours accorded to the hospital, she gave it the monopoly of 
playing-cards. The duty on these is very high ; if I am not mis- 
taken it amounts to fifty silver kopecks (more than eighteen pence) 
a pack. Now I do not think I make too bold an assertion, when I 
say that in all the other countries of Europe put together there is 
not so great a consumption of cards as in Russia. Not only the 
long winter evenings, — that is to say, the long evenings of nine 
months out of the twelve, — and the Russians' innate love for play, 
make the sale of cards something almost incredible ; but luxury 
and waste further stimulate the demand. In the higher circles, a 
pack of cards serves but for one game of ombre, whist, &c. ; and 
even in the better sort of clubs new cards are taken after every 
third game. In Germany such extravagance would astonish ; it 
gives but a faint idea of the luxury prevailing in Russia, although 



56 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

this is but a pale shadow of that which formerly reigned. About 
eight years ago the charming Countess Woronzow Daschkow took 
into her head to give a grand fete in the old French style. For 
that evening the whole house and its appurtenances were transform- 
ed, by the magic of her command, into a mansion of Louis XIV.'s 
time ; corridors, staircases, saloons, boudoirs, all wore the character 
of that period ; walls and ceilings, floors and windows, the furni- 
ture, the services, even the liveries of the laced footmen, with their 
long powdered perukes — all was rococo. The entertainment lasted 
four hours, cost many hundred thousand rubles, and early the next 
morning everything was destroyed and torn down, in order to re- 
store the house as quickly as possible to its former condition. The 
houses of all persons of quality are annually thoroughly new-fur- 
nished, that they may not be a single season behind the latest Paris 
fashions; and yet what is all this compared to the mad prodigality 
of an earlier period ? Previously to the accession of Alexander, a 
high-born Russian would have thought it a profanation of hospital- 
ity to use the same service for two feasts. The guests gone, the 
servants took everything that had been used at the repast — bottles, 
glasses, covers, plates, candlesticks, linen — the whole furniture of 
the table, in short — and tossed it all out upon the heads of the re- 
joicing mob assembled in the street below. What would now be 
deemed madness, was then good taste. May posterity pass a mild- 
er judgment on our fashionable follies and extravagances ! 

The enormous capital belonging to the St. Petersburg Found- 
ling Hospital, affords it abundant means to maintain itself on a 
level in every respect with the first philanthropic institutions in the 
world. The institution is under the immediate protection of the pre- 
sent empress, who frequently visits it, often in company with the 
Duchess of Leuchtenberg, watches over all its arrangements with 
true womanly care, and strengthens and improves it by her power- 
ful patronage. The orphan who enters this charitable house is 
cared for not only in its tender infancy, but for its whole life. Un- 
seeing and unseen, the woman on duty in the interior of the chain 
ber receives the little helpless being whom the world and its own 
parents abandon. At the ring of the door-bell she turns the exte- 
rior half of the coffer inwards, her ear scarcely catching the las) 



FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 57 

murmured blessing with which, many a heartbroken mother com- 
mits to the care of strangers that which she holds dearest in the 
world. As soon as received, the infant undergoes a medical exam- 
ination ; and an exact record is made of every mark and sign upon 
its body and linen, — of everything, in short, which came with it. 
Then it is washed, dressed in new clothes, a number is allotted to 
it, and it is given over to one of the nurses, who are always there 
in readiness. It is an affecting sight, on bright spring mornings, to 
see long strings of well-closed carriages driving slowly through the 
streets, conveying the nurses and their innocent charges into the 
country. There the children remain for some years, under the care 
and superintendence of physicians and officers of the institution, 
who regularly and strictly inspect the foster mothers. The first 
years of infancy happily passed, the children are brought back to 
the Foundling Hospital, and their education begins. The nature of 
this education depends entirely on the capacity and inclinations 
they betray. This establishment sends forth stout blacksmiths, and 
ploughmen, just as it has also produced distinguished officers, sculp- 
tors, and musicians. Cooks from the Foundling Hospital are much 
sought after ; governesses that have been educated there are prefer- 
red to all others. When the lad has completed his education in the 
house which received him as a helpless infant, the choice of a call- 
ing is allowed him, — more or less limited, of course, by the degree 
of ability and conduct he has manifested. He may devote himself 
to science or art, to the military or naval profession, to some trade 
or handicraft — just as he pleases ; and the expense of his education, 
previously borne by the hospital, thenceforward falls upon the gov- 
ernment. To requite this he is bound to devote his acquirements 
to the service of the state for a certain time. This, however, is not 
a very hard condition, since it ultimately leads to that which so 
many thousands sigh after for years in vain, namely, an appoint- 
ment as soon as he is quite fit for one. Formerly these foundlings 
could be at any time claimed by their parents ; but lately a ukase 
has put many difficulties in the way of such claims, if it has not, 
indeed, totally disallowed them. This decree was rendered neces- 
sary by the great abuses that arose from the facilities afforded to 
heartless and unscrupulous parents of getting rid of the care of their 
3* 



58 PICTURES FROM ST. PERERSBURG. 

offspring's childhood without urgent necessity. In this manner, 
children born in wedlock were often temporarily committed to the 
care of the state, and taken back when their age and education 
rendered them profitable, instead of burdensome, to their families. 
Startling contrasts abound in St. Petersburg. One morning, 
before four o'clock, I was driving to the Neva baths, when, on the 
Camino-Most, the stone bridge, my progress was impeded by a long 
procession of these little emigrants, proceeding into the country in 
their carriages. Still under the influence of the impression this scene 
had made upon me, and meditating on the temptations and perils to 
which the children, and especially the daughters, of the poor are 
exposed in this age of luxury and corruption, I drove past the mag- 
nificent Kasansky, and reached the Newsky Prospect, stretching 
away, in its vast length, beyond my range of vision, and at that 
hour of the morning, hushed in a stillness which was not without 
a certain solemnity. Suddenly, to my astonished eyes, the strangest 
scene presented itself. I beheld before me an al-fresco ball. A 
number of elegantly attired ladies, some in handsome shawls, and 
with feathers in their hats, were performing the strangest sort of 
dance, which they accompanied with a sort of bowing motion, in- 
cessantly repeated. I could recognise no French or German dance 
in their singular evolutions. Could it be some Russian national 
dance ? I thought. What kind of dance could it be that was thus 
danced in broad daylight on the public highway, and without male 
dancers ? A few men were certainly there, but merely as look- 
ers on. I touched the arm of my Istworstschik, called his attention 
to the group, and made an interrogative gesture. The explanation 
he gave me was doubtless very lucid and circumstantial, and would 
have been highly satisfactory, had it only been intelligible to me. 
Unable to understand a word he said, I ordered him, by the vigor- 
ous articulation of " Pachol," to drive up to the strange ball before 
the weary dancers could seek repose upon the stones at the street 
corners. Drawing nearer and nearer, I yet heard no sound of music ; 
at last we reached the Anitschkow Palace, and found ourselves close 
to the scene of this untimely activity. A repulsive and horrible 
sight met my eyes. A number of young women, apparently still 
fresh and blooming, with ruddy cheeks, — but whether of artificial 



CURIOSA. 59 

or natural colours their incessant monotonous bowing movement 
prevented my distinguishing — elegantly dressed in silks, jewels, and 
feathers, were sweeping the Newsky Street under the superintend- 
ence of policemen. Some of them appeared overwhelmed with 
shame, others stared at me, at the Istworstschik and horse, with per- 
fect indifference, and seemed rejoiced at our passage, which suspended 
for a moment their painful and disgraceful occupation. They were 
a detachment of nocturnal wanderers, who, when returning too tar- 
dily to their homes from pursuing their wretched calling, had fallen 
into the hands of the patrol, had passed the remainder of the night 
in the watch house, and were now atoning, broom in hand, their 
untimely rambles. I hurried off to the bath, glad to escape from 
this degrading and deplorable spectacle. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CURIOSA. 



EAGER to admire a building which enjoys no small fame in Ger- 
many, I hastened to the celebrated Marble Palace. One who, 
expecting to enter an orangery, falls into an ice-cellar, cannot expe- 
rience a more bitter deception, or a severer chill, than I did. This 
famous palace is the most repulsive building in all St. Petersburg. 
Cold and gloomy in its aspect, at the mere sight of it the beholder 
experiences an icy shivering. Catherine II. built it for Orloff, after 
whose death it was purchased by the Crown, and was occupied for 
a time by the deceased Grand-duke Constantine. It is now empty. 
Besides the sentries, no one approaches it : the Petersburgers hold 
it in special antipathy. 

The only remarkable point about the palace is the enormous sum 
it cost. A handsome building it decidedly is not. Its shape is a 
long quadrangle, whose two longest sides face south and north. The 
chief facade, towards the north, looks disproportionately small when 
compared with the whole building. Two wings are adorned with 
handsome pillars, but they are of unequal height, which makes an 



60 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

unpleasant impression on the beholder. The ground floor of the 
palace is of granite, whilst its two upper stories are of grey-veined 
marble, embellished with pilasters and pillars of red marble, whose 
capitals, by way of farther variety, are of white marble. The first 
floor is ornamented with balconies and balustrades of gilt bronze ; 
the panes of glass in the windows are three feet high, and of won- 
derful purity. 

Far superior in beauty is the Tauris Palace. It belonged to 
Potemkin. After his death Catherine II. bought it, and bestowed 
upon it, in commemoration of her favourite's campaign in the Cri- 
mea, the name that it still bears. The greatest ornament of this 
palace is its magnificent winter-garden, which, in extent and beauty, 
far surpasses that of the Winter Palace. The grandeur of the whole 
building defies description. After Catherine's death, Paul converted 
a part of it into a barrack, and the great hall immediately adjoining 
the garden was turned into a reading-room for the officers of the 
guard. In this hall were the tables laid out for the celebrated ban- 
quet given by Potemkin to the Empress. So vast are its dimensions, 
that, according to the memoirs of King Stanislaus, a whole batta- 
lion of soldiers was once manoeuvred in it. The Emperor Alexan- 
der had it put in repair, and the original old furniture replaced 
in it. 

I must not leave entirely unnoticed a palace which stands on the 
south side of the Summer Garden, and is known by the name of 
the Red Palace, — a name for which it is indebted to one of the 
many strange whims of the Emperor Paul. At a court ball, a lady 
made her appearance in red gloves, which so enchanted Paul, that 
the next day he proclaimed red his favourite colour, and ordered 
that the palace should forthwith receive that showy tint. In the 
same palace, his monogram, P.I., is so constantly repeated on every 
side, and in every corner, that an Englishman, who undertook the 
thankless task of counting them, got as far as 8000, and then, 
through weariness, left off without having nearly completed his un- 
dertaking. Paul had many such crotchets. So fond was he of the 
gaudy and the motley, that one of his ukases was to the effect that, 
on one and the same day, all the gates, bridges, palaces, guard- 
houses, &c. in the whole vast empire should be painted in variegated 



CURIOS A. 61 

colours ; — a piece of childish folly, the results of which were, in 
time, of course, obliterated. 

More interesting to me than all these palaces, whose attractions 
are for the most part limited to the splendour, taste, and luxury 
which are their general characteristics, was the modest little house 
on the St. Petersburg side of the Neva, which Kussian veneration 
for a great sovereign has covered with a wooden casket to protect 
it from decay. It is the same little house in which the greatest 
Russian who ever lived used to rest after his hard day's work ; the 
house whence he directed the building of the great capital, whose 
foundation-stone he laid. With religious scrupulousness his rooms 
are'preserved in precisely the same order as when he occupied them. 
There stands his bedstead ; there are his tools, his architect's rule, 
his inkstand, and some old fragments of his clothing. Everything 
he touched, all that belonged to him, is held sacred by his descend- 
ants ; and even a foreigner cannot but feel a pious emotion at the 
sight of these relics — mementos of the thoughts, deeds, and mode 
of life of the greatest man of his time. The respect and piety of 
those who have come after him, their grateful memory of his labours 
for the happiness of his people, and of the benefits he conferred on 
his country, have found expression in the conversion of his sleeping- 
room into a chapel. At an altar, whose plainness accords with the 
simplicity of the apartment, two masses are daily said. In the 
neighbourhood an old inn is shown to strangers, built upon the same 
spot were formerly stood the little tavern at which Peter made an 
appointment, when his " day's work" was over, with the Dutch am- 
bassador, who was trying to persuade him into a commercial treaty 
disadvantageous to Russia. There, with MenzikofF to back him, 
the Czar drank so stoutly and repeatedly to his guest, that the Hol- 
lander got drunk in replying to the challenge, and at last fell under 
the table, where he was left by his two entertainers until the cool 
morning air should restore his senses. 

Upon the island nearest to the St. Petersburg side of the river 
stands the citadel, there always spoken of as the " fortress." It is al- 
most entirely of granite, and was built by Peter the Great after a 
plan of his own drawing. In the interior of the church pertaining 
to it, in the imperial vaults, are preserved the banners and keys of 



62 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

conquered towns, those of Warsaw, Oczakoff, Ismael, and Derbent 
occupying the first places ; and there are also kept the bread and 
salt which the chief magistrate of Warsaw presented, with the city 
keys, to Suwarrow, in token of the complete subjection of Poland. 
The tower of the church is lofty and covered with gold, like almost 
all the church towers of St. Petersburg. 

In a casemate of the fortress, converted into a state prison, 
Prince Alexis, son of Peter I., ended his days, after his condemna- 
tion as a rebel. And there, in 1771, perished the princess Tara- 
kanoff, and all the other state prisoners there confined, in conse- 
quence of an overflow of the Neva. Since those days the state of 
morals in Russia has greatly improved, even amongst the very lowest 
classes, and manners and habits have become milder and more hu- 
mane. In the year 1776, out of 4369 deaths in St. Petersburg, 
133 persons were found dead — murdered, there could be no doubt. 
What a difference between then and now ! Modern writers cer- 
tainly warn us of the insecurity of the streets in the long winter 
evenings ; even Kohl, who wrote only eleven years ago about 
St. Petersburg, sees a candidate for the cemetery in every sledge that 
crosses the Neva after nightfall ; but such expressions are the mere 
results of preconceived notions or exaggerated apprehensions. It 
has happened to me to return home from Wassilije-Ostrow at every 
hour of the night, and in every season of the year, and I never 
found cause for the least uneasiness. 

From time to time a robbery or murderous assault certainly oc- 
curs, from time to time a corpse is found upon or under the ice ; but 
amongst ourselves, in our own Prussian capital, robberies and even 
murders are sometimes committed, without Berlin being set down 
on that account as an " uncivilised " or " unsafe " city. 

Moreover one must not overlook the fact, that many dead 
bodies, found in the street, on hard winter nights, are quite erro- 
neously supposed to have been left there by murderers. How often 
has it happened to myself, driving through St. Petersburg in bright 
summer nights, to pass the bodies of men lying in the middle of 
the street in a perfectly unconscious condition ! They had been 
neither knocked down nor wounded, but were simply dead drunk. 
On a December night a tipsy nap of this kind inevitably entails 



CUE10SA. 63 

death. And frozen to death many undoubtedly are. At Cronstadt, 
every year, sentries perish in that manner, although, when the cold 
is severe, they wear thick furs and are relieved every half hour. 
Occasionally, too, they are attacked by wolves, which is perhaps 
what has given occasion to Mr. Kohl to describe Russian country 
houses in a manner which might lead one to suppose that, in every 
villa round St. Petersburg, the bears and wolves run about as plen- 
tifully as puppies and poodles in German country places. All this 
belongs to the class of exceptions — nay, so great is the scarcity of 
wolves at St. Petersburg, that when the court on one occasion, to 
pleasure a foreign prince, got up a wolf-hunt, the witty prince, when 
the chase was ended, expressed great surprise at the singular breed 
of the slain savage, round whose neck the hair was rubbed off, ex- 
actly as if he had worn a collar. If, in Russia, the poor are more 
exposed than the rich to death from frost, this is only an indirect 
consequence of the cold — a more direct one of their love of brandy. 
If the wodka has not been previously indulged in, there is little 
cause for apprehension in the streets and immediate vicinity of St. 
Petersburg — especially as even the very poorest has there at least a 
sheep-skin wherein to wrap himself. A good raccoon-skin (Schup- 
penpelz-Waschbar) will resist a cold of twenty or more degrees in 
the open country. 

These raccoon furs form the customary winter clothing of the 
Petersburgers. Foreigners, on their road to Russia, are often ad- 
vised to provide themselves with such furs at Hamburgh or Leipzig, 
because they are infinitely cheaper in Germany. That they are 
cheaper is true euough, and he who buys one in Germany, with a 
view to selling it to a furrier at St. Petersburg, may find his account 
in the purchase. Not so he who buys it for his own wear, for in 
that case he is obliged to have it dressed over again in Russia, 
which is expensive and troublesome. In Germany they dress these 
skins so badly that in Russia they are scarcely wearable. I travel- 
led to St. Petersburg with an acquaintance who had bought one of 
these raccoon-fur coats at Hamburg for eighty dollars, Prussian cur- 
rency. It was bad and heavy, and in two months it became hard. 
Its owner wore it for three years, with great discomfort, then left the 
country, and was fain to give it away, because he would not be 



64 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

troubled to drag it about with him in summer, and nobody would 
buy it. Thus, in three years, his furs cost him eighty dollars. On 
reaching St. Petersburg, I purchased, from Michael, the German cur- 
rier on the Newsky, a fur coat for 1000 rubles, or about 300 dol- 
lars, Prussian currency, wore it three winters, then went away, and 
returned it to the seller, who, the fur having been taken good care 
of, willingly took it back and returned me my money, deducting 
only fifteen Prussian dollars for the use of the garment. So that, 
for three years, and for fifteen dollars, I had had the wear of a fur 
which was light, ample, soft, and moreover remarkably handsome. 

A sort of fur that is much prized in Russia, but not very univer- 
sally worn, perhaps on account of its great costliness, is called baran- 
ken, and is composed of the skins of unborn lambs. The mother 
has to be killed shortly before lambing time, to obtain the lamb, 
whose wool should then be silky, and have a silvery lustre. Thus it 
often happens that a great many ewes are sacrificed before enough 
lamb skins are got together (of sufficiently fine quality) to make a 
fur coat. This explains the high price. These skins come from 
Persia, Bucharest, and the land of the Calmuck. Formerly they 
were believed to be a vegetable product — the Scythian sheep, as it 
was called, concerning which so many fables were current. The 
Tartars, who deal in these skins, still vouch for the story, and de- 
mand enormous prices on account of the scarcity of their growth. 
The legend of this plant is current all over Russia. Its origin may 
be traced to Bell Von Antermony, who discovered, in the steppes of 
Astrakan, certain dry shrubs, with stems eighteen inches high, sur- 
mounted by a cluster of sharp thorny leaves, in whose shade neither 
plants nor grass would grow. Hereupon was founded the legend 
of an animal-plant, with seeds like those of a melon, and with fruit 
in the likeness of a lamb, growing upon a stem five spans from the 
ground. The taste of this lamb's flesh was like that of a crab. It 
was fixed firmly to the stem at the navel or middle of the belly ; it 
had head, eyes, and all the other parts of a lamb, and lived until the 
loot had consumed all the surrounding grass and plants, when it 
dried up for want of nourishment. Wolves and other beasts of prey 
sought it as a great delicacy. From its skin were made costly tur- 
bans, caps, muffs, &c. 



CUBIOSA. g5 

That such, fabulous legends as these should obtain popular cur- 
rency is not surprising, but it is worthy of remark that they have 
been adopted by science, and credited by its votaries. At the be- 
ginning of the sixteenth century, Herberstein heard of the existence 
of this plant, and collected the above particulars concerning it. A 
similar account is to be found in the works of the most celebrated 
writers who succeeded him, and was still credited as recently as the 
middle of the eighteenth century. He himself was informed by a 
learned Russian, the ambassador Demetrius at Venice, that his fa- 
ther had obtained, in Astrakan, the seeds which produced this 
extraordinary plant. He also affirmed to have heard, from a learned 
Oriental and interpreter, that in Samarcand and its neighbourhood 
grew plants bearing delicate fleeces, which were worn and much 
prized as furs. 

All writers of travels in Russia during the sixteenth and seven- 
teenth centuries relate these fables ; even botanists, like Reutenfels, 
Strays, and others. Kampfer and Bruce first discovered, at the be- 
ginning of the eighteenth century, that the baranken are the skins of 
unborn lambs, and were not a little surprised to find, at that date, 
the belief in the " Lamb Plant" general throughout Russia, a belief 
which even at the present day is not quite extinct in many parts of 
the empire. The pretended plant was called Baranez (a lamb), 
whence the name of the fur, baranken. 

A similar legend is current in Russia respecting the great fish 
morff or mors. The naturalist Mihow first related that this fish was 
wont to leave the Northern Ocean and ascend the mountains in the 
neighbourhood of the Arctic, working his way up by digging his 
great teeth into the earth. When he reached the top of the moun- 
tains, he rolled down the other side. Of the teeth of this pretended 
fish were made knife and dagger hafts, sword hilts, &c, which were 
sold at very high prices to the Turks and Tartars. The belief in 
this fable was supported in Russia by writers till the middle of the 
seventeenth century. Negebauer describes the sea-monster mors in 
such a manner, that, notwithstanding the walk up the mountains, 
.there is no difficulty in recognising the sea-horse of the Icy Ocean. 



66 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

CHAPTER IX. 

KITCHEN AND CELLAR. 

VIENNA is celebrated for its epicurism, but in this respect it is 
far behind St. Petersburg. In the Russian capital people eat 
much and live well, and, owing to the cheapness of provisions, good 
living is become a habit. Nothing that the country produces is 
dear ; and what does not that country produce ? From potatoes up 
to the finest grapes, all the products of Southern Germany are, with 
few exceptions, to be had. Amongst the exceptions are cherries 
and plums, which do not grow in northern Russia, and will not 
bear carriage from the southern provinces of the empire. They are 
to be found in hothouses, and there exceed in size and beauty any 
that I ever saw in Germany. But one must content one's self with 
their handsome appearance ; they are for show, not for use. In 
Countess Samailow's hothouses near Pawlowsky, three versts from 
Sarskoje-Selo, I saw whiteheart cherries of such wonderful size and 
beauty, that I thought I never before had seen fruit deserving of the 
name. I gathered a few ; they were perfectly soft and ripe ; but 
their flavour ! — truly appearances were in their case deceitful. They 
were a watery fruit, without flavour or perfume ; mere counterfeit 
cherries. On the other hand, they have beautiful melons at St. 
Petersburg — in Hungary I never saw them larger and finer ; pome- 
granates of extraordinary beauty, and Crimean grapes, resembling 
the Cape grapes in form and size, but with some difference in fla- 
vour, the Black Sea grapes having a harshness, which doubtless 
proceeds from their being gathered too early. In order that they 
may travel without being crushed by their own weight, they are 
taken from the vine before they are ripe. This is certainly also the 
case with the grapes from the Cape ; but these have so much natural 
heat in them, that they ripen in the sawdust in which they are 
packed, whereas the Crimean grapes cannot do without the sun's 
rays, and never attain a proper ripeness, but get only soft by keep- 
ing. As regards oranges — and these of excellent quality — they are 
so abundant in St. Petersburg, that they are actually squandered. 



KITGHEN AND CELLAR. 67 

The purchaser of a whole case, taking his chance of some being 
spoiled, gets one — of the size usual in Germany — for six bank ru- 
bles, or about four shillings and sixpence. By retail, you pay, in 
the orange season, sixty to ninety kopecks for ten, or about a half- 
penny a-piece. Their cheapness and profusion are, however, sur- 
passed by those of fish and game. Of deer and roebuck there are 
none, but wild boars and hares are in extraordinary abundance, and 
one is literally crammed with partridges, heathcccks, capercailzies, 
and birds of every kind. 

The imperial kitchen is good, very delicate, but extraordinarily 
meagre ; for eating goes on so constantly that it is necessary the 
diet should be easy of digestion, and especially not fat or rich. I 
had my dinner at Petershof from the imperial table, and frequently 
dined with one of the officers of the court, whose meals were sup- 
plied from the " second station;" the dessert was always magnifi- 
cent, but as to the dinner, I confess that the style of cooking at St. 
George's, a celebrated Petersburg restaurateur, pleased me far better. 
I must explain what I mean by " Stations." Their establish- 
ment had its origin in the following incident. The Empress once 
took it into her head to examine the state of her housekeeping, and 
found the expense of the palace menage rather considerable. Or- 
dering the daily reports of expenditure to be brought to her, she 
proceeded to examine them, and noticed, in the very first she took 
up, the following rather singular item : — " A bottle of rum for the 
Naslednik" (heir to the crown). This struck her as strange, and 
excited her curiosity to look further back ; but what was her as- 
tonishment when, for years past, she found a bottle of rum set down 
every day to the account of the Naslednik ! A bottle of rum daily ! 
Shocked to find her son such a confirmed drinker, she continued 
her investigations, and found that, even in his infancy, he had made 
the same enormous consumption of spirits — that in his cradle, and 
on the very day of his birth, he was still charged with the daily 
bottle. And on referring back to before his birth, the bottle was 
still put down. This was inexplicable. Continuing her researches, 
however, the Empress at last got to the first bottle. It was set 
down in some year of the last century, and the following note was 
on the margin : — " On account of violent toothache, a teaspoonful 



68 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

with sugar to be given ; by order of the physician of the imperial 
court." So, because the Emperor Alexander, when heir-apparent, 
had taken a teaspoonful of rum for a toothache, a bottle had ever 
since been daily drawn from the imperial cellar, and nominally con- 
sumed by him and his successors. This was rather too strong, and 
led to further investigations ; and the Empress informed her husband 
of the discoveries she had made. He read, and calculated, and 
ciphered, and thought long over the matter. At last he exclaimed, 
" If this goes on, I shall have to pledge my lands in order to pay 
for my table. There must be an end to this — / will put myself 
out to board" And no sooner said than done. Next day the 
imperial kitchen existed no longer. 

The Emperor made a contract for himself and his court. An 
enterprising purveyor undertook the supply of the whole Winter 
Palace, from the St. George's saloon down to the stable, and di- 
vided it into " stations." The Emperor and Empress were each to 
pay fifty rubles a day for their food ; for the archdukes and arch- 
duchesses and all who ate at their table, twenty -five rubles per head ; 
for the ladies and gentlemen of the court twenty rubles was the 
charge, for lower grades respectively fifteen and ten rubles, for the 
servants five, for the grooms three. A wonderful change ensued in 
the whole Winter Palace ; the Emperor declared he had never dined 
so well before ; the court, tempted by the more numerous courses, 
sat far longer at table ; the maids of honour got fresh bloom upon 
their cheeks and the chamberlains and equerries rounder faces, and 
most flourishing of all was the state of the household expenses, al- 
though these diminished by one half. In short every one, save 
cook and butler, was content, and all this was the result of a bottle 
of rum, from which the Emperor Alexander, when heir to the crown, 
had been ordered by the physician to take a spoonful for the tooth- 
ache. 

As already mentioned, I frequently dined at the table of the 
" second station," which was provided with six dishes and a most 
capital dessert. The drinkables consisted of one bottle of red and 
one of white wine, two bottles of beer, one of kislitschi, and quass 
ad libitum. The wine was a light Burgundy; the beer, on the 
other hand, was particularly heavy ; the kislitschi is a sour-sweet 



KITCHEN' AND CELLAR. 69 

drink, prepared from honey, water, lemon-juice, and a decoction of 
herbs ; quass is the plainest and cheapest sort of drink, extracted 
from malt, sometimes from bread-crusts — and is commonly drank 
by the people ; at first its taste is quite insupportable, but one soon 
gets accustomed to it and prefers it to any other beverage, especially 
in summer, on account of its cooling properties. It is very whole- 
some, not intoxicating, and constitutes the chief drink of the Russian 
people. 

In no city in the world is there a greater consumption of ice 
than in St. Petersburg ; not only of natural, but also of artificially 
prepared ice. 

In bad (mild) winters there is often a great deficiency of natural 
ice, for enough is wanted to fill all the cellars not only of the city 
but of the surrounding country villas. 

"When the Neva is frozen to the thickness of a foot and a half 
or two feet, great slabs, five feet long and three feet wide, are hewn 
out of its icy covering, and with these the cellars are filled. The 
ice, however, is not stowed away in these great blocks, but is first 
crushed into small pieces, which are stamped down iuto a compact 
mass in the cellars. This mass again freezes into solid layers of ice, 
the lowest or ground-tier of which is never taken out, when the cel- 
lars are well constructed, but remains perpetually there, a frozen 
foundation two or three feet deep, upon which, each successive win- 
ter, fresh ice is piled up to a height of five or six feet. Ice is deemed 
such a necessary of life in St. Petersburg, that the finest house v/ould 
obtain no tenant if its ice-cellar were bad. People literally cannot 
exist there without ice. It is in constant use. In the first place, 
all kinds of eatables — meat, milk, butter, &c. — are kept in the ice- 
cellar. Then it is mixed with water, beer, quass, and with almost 
all cold drinks. When there is a superfluity of it, the Petersburgers 
place it on the stoves and under the beds, to cool the apartments. 
In short, they never can have too much ice. 

Vast quantities of artificial ice are also consumed ; not only at 
parties, at the theatres, and for family use, but even in the public 
streets. Men perambulate the city, bearing great tubs upon their 
backs, the tubs enveloped and covered with wet cloths to protect 
them from the heat of the sun, and crying their ice for sale, just as 



70 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

formerly at Berlin pickled gherkins were hawked through the streets, 
and as lampreys are at the present day. This ice, which I never 
tasted but once, has no very agreeable flavour ; I was told, however, 
that I should soon get used to it and like it, which I am the more 
disposed to believe because the same thing had occurred to me with 
respect to quass. 

Fresh fruit is never eaten by the Russians until it has been 
blessed by the priest ; a highly judicious sanitary measure, inasmuch 
as it never obtains the blessing until it is perfectly ripe ; then it is 
taken to the church, where the ceremony is performed with great 
solemnity. The Russian clings uncommonly to all ecclesiastical 
usages ; on no account would he transgress this precept. On foot or 
horseback, or in a carriage, he never passes a church without mak- 
ing the sign of the cross ; before the image of his patron saint, he 
dismounts to perform this devotional ceremony. He has another 
practice, to appearance less reverential ; he never meets one of his 
popes (priests) without spitting. This he does neither from con- 
tempt nor from hatred ; it is simply a custom, with whose meaning 
and origin I do not believe that he himself is acquainted. At any 
rate, I took the utmost pains to discover them, but without the 
least success. 



CHAPTER X. 

OFFICIAL PENSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 

PROMINENT amongst the numerous absurdities current concern- 
ing Russia, is the tale of the enormous pensions enjoyed by 
government officers, and of the still more monstrous frauds and em- 
bezzlements of which such officials render themselves guilty. 

With respect to the first of these two points, it is perfectly true 
that every government officer has a right, after twenty-two years' 
service, to a full pension ; that is to say, to a pension equal in 
amount to the salary of the office he has held. This, however, can- 
not be considered an excessive allowance, when we bear in mind 



OFFICIAL PENSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 71 

that in Russia the largest pay or salary (I except the very highest 
civil and military employments, such as field-marshals, ministers, or 
ambassadors) does not exceed four thousand rubles, or something 
more than one hundred and fifty pounds sterling. In Prussia or 
Austria, would not a general or counsellor of state, after twenty-two 
years' service, receive at least as large a pension ? This elucidated, I 
proceed to the second point, which is linked with and explained by 
the first. With a view to limit the pensions, nobody receives a 
higher salary than four thousand rubles. But as it is manifest that 
many state officers, merely as a consequence of their official rank 
and position, — could not possibly exist on such pay, a number of 
temporary advantages and emoluments are conceded to them, which 
expire on their becoming pensioners. Only a small portion of these 
allowances, such as table money, contingent expenses, <fec, are paid 
to them in cash. 

Independently of the above-named consideration with respect to 
pensions, the imperial government here proceeds upon the principle 
of personally interesting the chiefs of the various branches of the 
administration by giving them a share in their advantages, thus 
making them more free and independent, and thereby acquiring a 
right to lay upon them a so much the stricter responsibility. As 
regards this principle of responsibility, it is certainly at times carried 
out to an absurd extent ; reasons are not listened to when proffered 
by the chief of a department ; a misfortune is imputed as a crime to 
him under whose administration it has occurred. A revolt in a 
company dishonours a commander ; a nail in a horse's foot may 
easily lose an equerry his place ; the defalcation of a clerk is the 
ruin of the chief of his division. Hence the rigid and severe 
responsibility which every official, from the highest downwards, lays 
upon his immediate subordinates ; and as this responsibility cannot 
possibly be a reality without a certain freedom of action, the result 
is a sort of official despotism, which one must have seen and studied 
in Russia before comprehending to its full extent the meaning of the 
word bureaucracy. Upon this principle of responsibility is erected 
the entire edifice of the public service. 

Every official is an absolute lord and master so far as his re- 
sponsilility extends. The same principle is applied to the financial 



72 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

portion of the administration. Those government servants to whom 
money is confided for the use of their departments, are at perfect 
liberty to manage it in the way that seems good to them, and even 
to their own best advantage, so long as they strictly fulfil their duty 
as far as their responsibility extends. A groom in Germany, no 
matter in how good condition were his horses, would be severely 
blamed or punished if convicted of having made away with even 
the smallest portion of their corn, or of having neglected to litter 
them well down ; on the other hand, he is not answerable for their 
sickness or death if he can show that it has not arisen from neglect 
of his. In Russia it is very different ; there he may give his horses 
brickbats for straw, and May-flies instead of oats, so long as they 
look and work well ; on the other hand, their sickness or death is Ms 
fault, though twenty physicians certified the contrary. How far this 
principle is a good one I will not investigate ; what is certain is, that 
it leads to the desired end ; the means by which this is attained may 
not always be the most delicate, but the system and circumstances I 
have just displayed are to a great extent an extenuation. Thus, for 
instance, in the case of an officer of my acquaintance, who was 
travelling in charge of horses belonging to the Emperor. The man 
has one of the best and kindest hearts under the sun, and yet he 
confessed to me that often, in bad weather, when he took up his 
night's quarters in a village, and no straw was to be obtained, he 
had the thatch taken off the peasants' cottages. " It grieved me," 
he said, " to see the rain pouring into the people's beds, but my 
horses must have dry litter ; my responsibility was at stake." I was 
glad the houses were covered with straw instead of tiles, for I firmly 
believe that, in the latter case, he would have taken the villagers' 
bedding to lay under his horses. Yet, I repeat it, this was an ex- 
cellent man ; but he was a Russian, and the Russian knows nothing 
superior to the word " Service." It must be admitted that from 
this word he often deduces very singular consequences. The same 
officer assured me that, during his whole journey, so long as he was 
on Russian ground, he never paid a kopeck for any thing. Every 
morning the mayor or burgomaster of the place brought him 
a receipt for what he had consumed, but steadfastly refused the 
money. This was assuredly out of no love for either the Emperor's 



OFFICIAL PENSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 73 

horses or the officer; it was out of fear of the consequences of accept- 
ing payment. In like manner, in all Russia, no postmaster will take 
money from a cabinet courier. He prefers losing the posting to 
risking having his horses driven to death. The government will 
never think of calling officer or courier to account for such non-pay- 
ment; their responsibility extends only to the safe and punctual 
delivery of horses and dispatches. 

The same state of things exists in the army. Commanders of 
all grades have their obligations. These they must fulfil, but the 
manner of their fulfilment concerns them alone. It is the colonel's 
business to purvey everything required by his regiment. Every neces- 
sary is specified and calculated, and he receives the sum total in the 
lump or the difference by monthly payments. He has a right, let us 
suppose for example's sake, to a hundred bushels of oats and five 
hundredweight of hay ; but instead of taking those quantities, he 
takes twenty hundredweight of hay, and only fifty bushels of oats ; 
the difference in value is allowed, credited, and paid to him, openly 
and without concealment, as his own private and legitimate profit. 
The technical expression for this practice is " to economise" 

One of the most curious exemplifications of the workings of 
this system is to be found in the mode of remounting the cavalry. 
This is more easily managed in the provinces than in the capital, 
the requirements being less rigorous in country garrisons with line 
regiments than at St. Petersburg with the guards, not one of whose 
horses must differ from the others a hair in colour, or a half inch in 
height. And splendid horses they are, and the task a hard one to 
discover and supply them.- 

The imperial government exacts much and pays little. For a 
hussar horse I believe the allowance to be four hundred rubles ban- 
co, and for a dragoon horse five hundred ; but I am not sure of 
these figures, nor are they of the least importance, for whatever is 
paid is notoriously not a third of the real value. Colonels of regi- 
ments set their pride upon their troop horses, and yet do not con- 
tribute a doit from their own pockets towards purveying good ones. 
The way the thing is done is this : the richest and most ambitious 
of the young officers are sent upon remount-duty. These young 
men make it a point of honour to execute this duty in, a brilliant 
4 



74 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

manner, and to earn the favour and good opinion of their chiefs , 
and so it often happens that a young subaltern expends, out of his 
pocket, a sum equivalent to a small fortune, paying 1500, instead 
of 500, rubles for every horse — sacrificing 40,000 or 50,000 rubles 
and half ruining himself to enjoy the fame of having brought a 
good remount. If he be so rich that he can afford to despise the 
government allowance, he throws the helve after the hatchet, and 
pays the whole price himself; the colonel recompenses him with his 
esteem, and has made an " economy." 

In this system of responsibility, as in almost all Russian laws 
and regulations, the fundamental idea has much to recommend it ; 
but the disadvantages of the best possible idea may often be coun- 
teracted by the manner in which it is carried out. All I have en- 
deavoured to prove is, that, if there be much that is objectionable 
in the manner in which is applied the system I have here exhibited, 
on the other hand, that manner of application is not literally an 
infraction of the law, and consequently does not deserve the hard 
names often applied to it in Germany. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE RUSSIAN POLICE. 



THE position of the police in this singular country is very pecu- 
liar. Russia is a " police-state," in the strictest sense of the 
word ; and as everything in the country is subjected to their super- 
intendence, so also is their responsibility enormous. To save this as 
much as possible, they (especially the subaltern officials) keep them- 
selves within the very letter of their orders, from which literal ob- 
servance the grossest absurdities often arise. There is a standing 
order of the police that, on the breaking up of the Neva, as soon 
as the thaw is announced to the police, agents are to be stationed 
on both banks to prevent the accidents which would arise from per- 
sons attempting to cross. It has not unfrequently happened that 
the Budschniks (policemen acting as street guardians), to whom the 



THE BUSSIAN' POLICE. 75 

execution of this order has been entrusted, have taken it too literally, 
and have not only prevented persons crossing- from the side of the 
river on which they were stationed, but also would not suffer those 
to land who, when the river began to break up, were already upon 
the ice, and with peril of life had reached the shore. These were 
forcibly repulsed by the Budschniks, because the letter of their in- 
structions was to let no one cross the ice. A similar too-literal in- 
terpretation of the regulations in case of fire caused a terrible 
calamity at the burning of the Lehmann Theatre, as I shall pre- 
sently have occasion to relate. 

Who has not heard tell of the great trouble and difficulty oc- 
casioned to foreigners by the Russian passport system ? And yet, 
to those who choose to ascertain the simple routine of the business, 
the trouble is very trifling. On his arrival in St. Petersburg, the 
stranger receives a carte de sejour, or permission of residence, in 
exchange for which he delivers ap his passport, which is deposited 
in the archives of the Alien Office until his departure. Once a 
week, for the three weeks preceding his departure from Russia 
(journeys in the interior of the country do not require this formali- 
ty), he must advertise his intention in the Petersburg Journal. In 
cases of pressing haste, the three advertisements may succeed each 
other at shorter intervals. The day after the appearance of the 
third, he lays the advertisement before the Schasneprice, or police 
commissary of the quarter. If, during the period of advertisement, 
no one has applied to this officer, and made opposition to the de- 
livery of the passport, — on account of debts, or the like, — the 
commissary delivers to him a formal certificate to that effect. With 
this, the foreigner betakes himself to the Passport Office, addresses 
himself to the official charged with the dispatch of strangers, and 
hands him his card of residence, the three advertisements, the 
Scbasneprice's certificate, and a twenty-ruble note. The official 
takes charge of all these things, and courteously requests the person 
from whom he receives them to return at three in the afternoon, 
when he may reckon on being most politely received and speedily 
expedited. If this is not the case, the fault is that of the foreigner 
alone, who assuredly has forgotten to give in one of the four docu- 
ments above enumerated, and of which the official asks only for the 



76 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

first three, leaving the fourth to be thought of by the applicant, who 
has, consequently, only his bad memory to blame if he does not 
get his passport until a little reflection indicates to him the sure 
means of accelerating its delivery.* 

One of the principal duties of the police is to display great activity 
in the event of fires. The arrangements for the extinction of fires 
are excellent in St. Petersburg. Cries of "fire" are unknown 
there. On elevated points, towers, and columns, disposed for the 
purpose, watchmen are stationed both by night and by day ; who, 
at the first signs of fire, pass telegraphic signals, and thus warn the 
authorities in the surest and quickest manner. The measures taken 
in such cases are so rapid and well organised, that a fire is usually 
got under within a very short time of its first outbreak. With 
rare exceptions, — as, for instance, that of the conflagration of the 
Winter Palace, — damage by fire is seldom of much extent. The 
third story may be in a light flame; but not on that account does 
it occur to the occupants of the second floor to remove their furni- 
ture. The exertions of firemen and engines are certainly greatly 
aided by the solid style of building. 

As soon as the authorities reach the scene of the fire, all other 
labour is suspended. The regular firemen set to work, and with so 
much zeal and judgment, that the raging element is seldom allow- 
ed to make much head. One thing that strikes the eye especially, 
on these occasions, is the great beauty of the horses that drag the 
engines. Many of them are animals of the noblest breeds, of the 
most beautiful colour and form, and, what is yet stranger, they cost 
the authorities not a single kopeck. Here is the solution of the 
enigma. We will suppose you, a foreigner, in company with a 
friend, to be making your way through the throng that fills the 
principal streets of St. Petersburg, looking anxiously and carefully 
about you, in order to effect a passage unharmed through the dense 

* In this, as in some other passages of Mr. Jerrmann's book, a doubt re- 
mains upon the reader's mind, whether he speaks earnestly or ironically. Not- 
withstanding, however, his evident disposition to look favourably on Russian 
institutions, we can hardly suppose him seriously to uphold, or even to palliate, 
bo annoying, expensive, and corrupt a system as is exemplified in the above 
paragraph. — T. 



THE RUSSIAN POLICE. 77 

lines of carriages that fill the Newsky, the Morskoy, &c, and getting 
cautiously out of the way of the brilliant and swiftly-rolling equi- 
pages. See how differently the Russian behaves. Calm, careless, 
undismayed, he goes to and fro through the mob of vehicles ; and, 
in reply to your apprehension lest he should be driven over, his 
word is, " They dare not." Acting upon the principle, no fallacious 
one either, that most accidents from being run over occur in conse- 
quence of the driver's carelessness, the Russian government passed 
a law, which briefly says : — " Whosoever runs over a person shall 
be forthwith arrested, his hair shall be cropped, and he be sent to serve 
as a soldier : the carriage and horses shall be confiscated and given 
over to the police, who will appropriate the latter to the use of the 
fire-engines. If the person run over be killed, or badly hurt, the 
owner of the carriage shall support the charges of interment or 
cure, and further shall compensate the family of the person killed." 
The first of the penalties included in this decree can be bought of! ; 
and instances have been known of masters paying 1000 rubles, 
and more, for the redemption of a coachman who had rendered 
himself liable to it. The law is somewhat severe ; but it is also 
wholesome and necessary, to protect the public from mishap. 

Notwithstanding the protective severity of this enactment, many 
persons are run over ; and, notwithstanding the excellent arrange- 
ments for the extinction of fifes, great conflagrations occasionally 
occur, whose grievous extent and fatal results are sometimes at- 
tributable to the too literal observation of beneficial regulations. 
Of this, the following case is a melancholy instance. 

The greatest, and also the most completely national, festival of 
the Russians is the Maslinizza. This is the close of the carnival ; or, 
rather, the people's own carnival. It lasts for the entire week im- 
mediately preceding Lent, and extraordinary preparations are made 
for it. The centre and chief scene of this grand festival is the 
square of the Admiralty ; upon which, for fully a fortnight be- 
forehand, are erected booths and temporary theatres — most various 
in form, size, and description. Next to the humble stalls of deal- 
ers in chesnuts and gingerbread, stands the extensive circus of a 
De Bach or Lejars ; hard by the booth where marionettes dance and 
juggle, rises the colossal stage of an Italian pantomime • here a 



78 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

temporary tavern props itself against the walls of a menagerie. The 
seemingly-confused medley of buildings is, however, arranged on 
a fixed plan, and intersected by streets for carriages and horsemen, 
and by innumerable footpaths. Early on the morning of the first 
day of the Maslinizza, the vast place is crowded with people ; — all 
Petersburg is on its legs, hastening to and from the fair. All busi- 
ness is suspended ; for these eight days are exclusively devoted to 
uproarious* popular diversions. So long as they last, there reigns 
pure and unlimited social democracy ; no drunkenness is punished ; 
no nocturnal rovers are taken up ; even detected thieves are rarely 
given up to the police, but, instead, often receive upon the spot 
some slight punishment, according to Lynch-law — although the 
heavy fists, which, on such occasions, are seen clenched and uplifted, 
make it probable that the culprits would prefer the grasp of justice 
to such summary chastisement. From early dawn, the greater 
portion of the immense fair is crammed with the lower classes of the 
people ; compared with the tumult, pressure, and congregation of 
men, what are the fairs of Leipzig, Frankfort, or Beaucaire ? For- 
eigners are wanting, whose presence is certainly the most character- 
istic feature of the French and German mercantile fairs ; but, in re- 
spect of crowd and noise, the latter are far below the Petersburg 
Maslinizza. Towards two or three o'clock, the whole of the theatres, 
which, during those eight days, give two performances daily, dis- 
gorge the vast mass of their spectators, who flow down, in long, 
compact streams, to the Admiralty Square, and take a sort of 
wandering possession of it. Soon afterwards, the equipages of the 
wealthy classes, also coming from the theatres, fill the carriage- 
roads through the fair, and drive to and fro, slowly and in long 
lines, through the temporary streets of the markets and the dense 
throng of foot-passengers. The royal family seldom fail to make their 
appearance in this brilliant procession, which the populace greet with 
joyous acclamations. After an hour's drive in sledges and car- 
riages, the richest and most elegant of these usually proceed to the 
ISTewsky Perspective, where their occupants alight, and form the 
most brilliant promenade it is possible to behold. What colossal 
wealth and exquisite taste are there displayed ! In costly equipages 
alone, millions are there accumulated. The value of many a four- 



THE RUSSIAN POLICE. 79 

horse team there pacing up and down ? would be an independent 
fortune for a German burgher of modest pretensions. And then the 
furs ! what countless sums have been expended upon those beauti- 
ful furs, light as Persian shawls, but of a warmth that defies all the 
rigours of a Russian winter ! After the promenade on the ISTe wsky 
comes dinner, followed bv fresh visits to theatres and concerts. And 
till far on in the night, the streets are filled with a giddy, half- 
drunken multitude. At last, those who are in a condition to find 
their houses return home : those who, after much reeling, and stag- 
gering, and running to and fro, fail in discovering their domicile, 
and lie or fall down in the kennel, or at the street-corner, are 
gathered up by the police and patrols, and conveyed to the guard- 
house. In ordinary times they would not be released next morning 
without some slight memento of the hospitality accorded them ; but 
during the Maslinizza, it is different ; and after sleeping off their 
liquor on a camp-bed, in a warm room, they are suffered to depart 
unpunished, to recommence the coarse sensuality of the previous day. 
Twelve or fourteen years ago, the most successful and popular 
of all the entertainments assembled on the Admiralty Square dur- 
ing the Maslinizza, was that given by the celebrated pantomime 
company of the German manager, Lehmann. There was a perfect 
rage for these pantomimes; all Petersburg flocked to see them; 
and, although they were repeated every two hours, the temporary 
theatre in which they were played was continually filled to suffoca- 
tion. During one of the morning performances, whilst the pit was 
in full glee and uproar of delight, the harlequin suddenly rushed 
upon the stage, and exclaimed, " Fire ! sauve qui pent /" The an- 
nouncement was received with a general burst of laughter at what 
was taken for a stupid joke. The misapprehension was fatal, for it 
shorter. ed the brief space during which escape was possible ; in a 
few moments the flames burst out from behind the scenes ; the 
wooden building was in a blaze. The audience, wild with terror, 
rushed to the doors ; unfortunately these opened inwards, and the 
pressure of the frantic throng closed them as effectually as iron bars 
and bolts. Exit was impossible. Outside, a workman, who had 
assisted in the building of the theatre, stepped forth from the crowd 
and called for an axe, declaring that he knew every joint of the 



80 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

boards and beams, and could quickly open a passage for the im- 
prisoned audience. But the budschnilc or policeman on duty would 
not permit this to be done till his superiors came to decide upon the 
matter. At last, urgent necessity overcoming every other considera- 
tion, the punctilious police agent was pushed aside, several men 
seized axes, and soon a large opening was made in the side of the 
building. A dense cloud of smoke made the crowd recoil, and, 
when it had cleared away, a horrible spectacle presented itself. In 
closely packed masses sat men, women, and children, apparently 
still gazing at the stage, which was a sheet of flame. Rescue had 
come too late ; the sudden smoke, filling the crowded building, had 
stifled the entire audience : not one was saved. 



CHAPTER XII. 

RUSSIAN JUSTICE. 



THERE is much analogy in Russia between the administration of 
justice and that of the police. Most of the Russian laws are 
excellent ; unfortunately the intentions of the law-givers are but too 
often neutralized by the conduct of those appointed to administer 
them. It is evident that in every country the right working of the 
laws depends entirely on their administrators, and here is the weak 
point wl 2re Russia's imperfect state of civilization is most plainly 
manifested. The administration of justice is also rendered doubly 
difficult by the circumstance that the whole Russian legal code con- 
sists of a mass of ukases, which in the progress of centuries has as- 
sumed such enormous proportions, that hundreds of waggons would 
hardly suffice to transport it. Amongst these ukases are naturally 
found many which contradict each other. And (especially of late 
years) a new ukase has not always contained a clause expressly an- 
nulling those in a contrary sense and of earlier date. Hence the 
most important branch of Russian jurisprudence became a know- 
ledge of all these numerous ukases, since the production of one of 
remote date often caused the decision of a tribunal to be diametri- 



EUSSIAN JUSTICE. 81 

cally opposed to what it would have been according to the decrees 
more generally known and commonly acted upon. The Emperor 
Nicholas, discerning this great evil, appointed, immediately after he 
ascended the throne, a special commission of revision, whose task it 
was to sort all these various ukases, to arrange them and bring them 
into keeping with each other, and finally, out of the heterogeneous 
and discordant mass, to form one appropriate and harmonious code 
of laws. The work was completed several years ago, and the result 
was more than twenty folio volumes. A second commission was 
then appointed, and has ever since been toiling, to reduce these com- 
pendious tomes to dimensions more compact and practically useful. 
Thus, step by step advancing, Russia may hope, in due time, to pos- 
sess a regular code, remedying the evils and supplying the wants 
that the country so long has felt. 

Yet, even in their present state, the Russian laws are not only 
adapted to the spirit and character of the people, but are also for 
the most part humane, far more so than accords with popular no- 
tions of Russia. Justice is cheap, and fees exist not. Stamps ex- 
cepted, a lawsuit may be carried through and decided without cost- 
ing a kopeck to either of the parties concerned. So the law ordains. 
But how is this carried out ? At the very first step taken by the 
plaintiff in a cause, the clerk or secretary finds that the paper handed 
in is totally incorrect in its form, and politely requests that it may 
be drawn up a second time in a more regular manner. This is 
neither more nor less than an indirect demand for twenty rubles 
banco. The uninitiated in such matters, who finds his petition (in 
Russia everything is a " petition") perfectly regular, and insists upon 
its reception, may rest assured that it will be duly shelved and so 
remain ; on the other hand, persons initiated in the mysteries of 
Russian justice, rectify the imperfections of their " petition " by hand- 
ing in the twenty rubles, by virtue of which they may rest assured 
that no exception will be taken to its form, and that their suit will 
be advanced one stage. But it unfortunately happens that the small- 
est lawsuit necessitates some twenty or more such " petitions," each 
one of which must be weighted with the stimulative douceur of 
twenty rubles, so that, although exempt from legal charges, the 
gainer of a suit often finds himself out of pocket to twice the amount 
4* 



82 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

he has recovered. Whether or not the Russian officials adopt this 
mode of proceeding with the friendly and highly moral view of dis- 
gusting people of lawsuits, and of inducing them to resort as much 
as possible to amicable compromise, there can be no doubt that that 
is the end they attain. 

It is a proverb in Russia, that " every man gets his rights — who 
lives long enough ;" and the fact is, that it is often less difficult to 
establish one's right than to obtain its official recognition. Thus it 
happened that a certain person had duly won his lawsuit, but his 
utmost endeavours were insufficient to get possession of the judg- 
ment. At last he had recourse to stratagem. He went to the ma- 
gistrate who had had the decision of his affair, exposed to him the 
nature of his solicitation, and after hearing, in reply, an exposition 
of the numerous difficulties which opposed themselves to the fulfil- 
ment of his wish, the pressure of business, <fcc, &c, he took out his 
pocket-book, and extracted from it a packet of bank-notes, which he 
tore in half. One of the halves he handed to the man of law, and 
replaced the other in his pocket. " These halves," he said, " are 
valueless apart, and useless to both of us. I consider mine as lost ; 
it depends upon yourself to restore their full value to those in your 
possession.' 1 On the morrow this ingenious person had a call from 
a very friendly and gentlemanly man, who made him the benevo- 
lent offer to exchange the much desired judgment, which he had 
with him duly and legally drawn up, against the valueless halves of 
the bank notes. 

As a striking example of the singular action of the " responsi- 
bility " system upon the minds and moral perceptions even of up- 
right and highly respectable men, and of the manner in which, upon 
occasion, they are found to limit their views to the material advan- 
tage of the state, even at the cost of private individuals, I take an 
anecdote of the official life of Cancrin, the famous Russian finance- 
minister. One of his spies — no branch of the Russian administra- 
tion is without these — brought him intelligence that a receiver-gen- 
eral of the revenue had misappropriated large sums of money. In 
most countries the natural consequence of such a denunciation would 
be an immediate investigation of the accused person's accounts. Can- 
crin did nothing of the sort. He went into his office, and called out 



RUSSIAN JUSTICE. 83 

aloud to a secretary, who sat at the further end of the hall, " to give 
notice to those officials whom it concerned, that upon that day week 
there would be a general inspection of all the public money-chests 
of the metropolis." Of course the defaulter was informed of this 
within the hour. Off he ran to Jew and Turk, and borrowed for a 
few days the amount of his deficiencies. The week elapsed, and the 
inspection began. The finance-minister himself came to the accused 
person ; his books were checked, and the balance they exhibited was 
compared with the state of the treasury. Thanks to his money- 
lending friends, the amounts coincided to a kopeck. With a well- 
pleased glance Cancrin had the money restored to its iron coffer, 
locked it with his own hand, and — put the key into his pocket. 

An hour afterwards the receiver-general received his dismissal. 
Thus he escaped Siberia, justice was cheated, and several innocent 
persons — perhaps honest men, who had been eager to oblige and 
serve him — were defrauded of their money. But the State lost no- 
thing, and the minister saved his " responsibility." Thus are the 
laws evaded in Russia, but not in all cases with so much apparent 
lenity. 

The humanity of Russian legislation has long since abolished 
capital punishment, with the sole exception of cases of high treason. 
Even after the great military conspiracy of 1825, only seven of the 
chiefs atoned for their crime with life : surely a small number of 
executions for a plot whose ramifications were so extensive. The 
knout, which replaces capital punishment, is certainly a terrible in- 
fliction ; but here also do the widely spread popular notions on the 
subject demand rectification. With us " Russia" and "knout" have 
become such identical ideas, that one is inclined to believe that the 
slightest infraction of the law may bring the most honest of men 
under the frightful thong, which every police subaltern is supposed 
to be at liberty to inflict by the warrant of his own will. The fact 
is, that in Russia a criminal can be sentenced to the knout for no 
other offences but those which in Germany would be punished by 
death, and such sentences are never executed without an authorisa- 
tion from the Emperor himself, signed with his own hand. The 
number of blows seldom exceeds six ; it is certainly a fact that the 
first often suffices to kill a man ; nevertheless, instances have been 



84 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

known where criminals received ten, and yet survived to make a 
long atonement of their fault by labour in the Siberian mines. The 
most frightful circumstance relating to the knout, and that upon 
which its mournful celebrity is doubtless founded, is the abuse that 
was formerly made of it. As recently as in the time of the Emperor 
Paul, the sentence to punishment by this fearful instrument often 
emanated purely and directly from the sovereign's arbitrary will. 
By such order and authority was a pope, who kept a reading club, 
condemned to the knout and to banishment for life to Siberia, for 
having circulated a prohibited book. Thus also did the sense of 
justice (coupled with extreme severity) of that Czar pronounce an 
equally terrible sentence upon the person guilty of a certain offence 
which had been committed in the garrison. The affair was of a 
delicate nature, and very probably had reached the ears of the Czar 
in a distorted form. Meanwhile, in his first anger, he had pledged 
his word for the carrying out of the penalty, and had named a 
committee of investigation, whose researches it would have been 
difficult, indeed impossible, for the real culprit to escape. To avert 
the horrible misfortune that must have ensued, a non-commissioned 
officer of the Preobressentschy grenadiers generously sacrificed him- 
self for his young chief, and gave himself up as the guilty person. 
The committee, who already had their misgivings, felt themselves 
relieved from an oppressive burthen and responsibility. Examina- 
tion and execution were accelerated to the utmost; influential inter- 
vention converted the corporal punishment into a mere ghastly 
mockery, and the devoted grenadier departed for ^Siberia, where he 
lived in abundance, until a cabinet-courier, despatched by a new 
Emperor, recalled him to receive his reward. The signature of his 
recall is said to have been the very first act of the young Czar. 

Such arbitrary sentences are no longer passed, and the present 
Emperor might be blamed rather for his too great lenity than for 
his severity. To this day, as regards the bureaucracy, the celebrated 
" dubina" of Peter the Great would frequently find very appropriate 
employment. It is undeniable that justice and police are the partie 
honteuse, the shame and scandal, of the Russian empire. The 
Emperor, who knows everything, but who cannot remedy every- 
thing, does his utmost to abate the evil, and made an important 



RUSSIAN JUSTICE. g 5 

step towards abolishing the most crying abuses, by the appointment, 
some seven years ago, of the excellent Perowsky to the post of 
minister of the interior. Yet it is a question whether even this man 
of rare ability will succeed in opposing an effectual and permanent 
barrier to the flood of official corruption. Admirably qualified 
though he be for his Augean task, it may still be doubted whether 
he will escape the countless intrigues and cabals organised against 
him by the thousand-headed monster he has to combat, and which 
he threatens in its innermost intrenchments. In the army of officials 
he finds his bitterest enemies, against whose malice he is upheld 
only by the Emperor's favour, and by the hearty good wishes of the 
people, who adore him, and who see their great gain in his steadfast 
exertions. 

To prove to the administration of the police what venal officers 
were to be found in its ranks, he once sent for its chief, and com- 
municated to him information he had received, that every night, in 
a particular house, prohibited games of chance were played. He 
asked for two of the most trustworthy officers, and sent them at 
night to the house in question. It was surrounded, and the two 
agents went up stairs to the apartment that had been indicated to 
them. There they found a party of six or eight gentlemen, seated 
at a round table, in the full enjoyment of a game at faro, and with 
heaps of gold before them. Caught in flagranti, the disconcerted 
gamblers were about to be conveyed to the guard-house, when one 
of them managed to make the two police tyrants understand that 
" ecarte" which they had just been playing, was a very harmless 
amusement ; that the pile of gold upon the table was no evidence 
against them; that they were in the habit of playing this game — ■ 
which was one of skill, not of chance — for very high sums ; and, to 
prove this assertion, he offered to play a game at ecarte with each 
of the police agents, at 1000 rubles a game. The agents accepted 
the offer, as well as the 1000 rubles, took themselves off, and next 
morning the chief of the district reported to the minister that the 
visit to the suspected house had produced no other result than the 
discovery of a party of gentlemen harmlessly amusing themselves 
with a friendly game at cards. Perowsky sent for the two police 
agents, heard their report from their own mouths, and then, turning 



86 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

to their chief, who was present, " Learn," he said, " what dependence 
you can place on the men in whom you confide, and who should 
be the guardians of the public welfare." And, opening a side door, 
he disclosed to the astonished officials the gamblers of the night 
before, sitting round a green table, in the same order, and engaged 
in the same prohibited game. Disguised, and with a long false 
beard, Perowsky went about to shops and stalls, purchasing sugar, 
meat, and butter, and checking the weight of his purchases. Many 
shops were closed, but the housewives of St. Petersburg rejoiced at 
the augmentation of weight and measure. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A SHOW OF BRIDES. 



I HAVE already spoken of the public buildings of St. Petersburg ? 
and I ought not to have omitted mentioning amongst them the 
Michaelow Palace, of tragical fame. This palace, once so brilliant, 
with its ditch, drawbridges, and palisades, and with the bronze 
equestrian statue of Peter the Great in its court-yard, is now trans- 
formed into a school for cadets ; and the apartments in which im- 
perial pomp and melancholy once reigned are now occupied by 
young, light-hearted, and industrious scholars. With the exception, 
it must be remarked, of one room, whose floor, doubtless, yet bears 
traces of a terrible event, for immediately after the fearful deed its 
doors and windows were walled up. At the present cheerful day 
the darkened casements look dismally forth upon the court-yard — 
gloomy memorials of sad days gone by. In that room the Emperor 
Paul met his death, " struck by apoplexi/." 

At no great distance from this old palace lies the delightful 
Summer Garden, one of the pleasantest places of resort in St. Peters- 
burg. Peter the Great laid it out, and in a room of the house 
which he built in it, is shown a piece of leather, the first that was 
tanned in St. Petersburg, and which still bears marks of the teeth 
with which the great Czar bit into it in his wild extravagant joy at 



A SHO W OF BRIDES. 87 

this new step of the civilization he had promoted. At the present 
day there are nowhere such good tanners as in Russia, and nowhere 
are furs so well dressed and prepared for use. This is proved by 
what I have elsewhere mentioned with respect to the raccoon-skin 
coats (Schuppenpelze), which may be bought at much lower prices 
in Germany, but which, on arrival in Russia, require to be thorough- 
ly dressed again before they become soft, durable, and agreeable to 
wear. 

One of the boundaries of this Summer Garden is towards the 
quay, and is separated from the Neva only by a carriage road. The 
charm of the finely grown trees, of the enchanting walks and alleys, 
of the fine statues and pleasant resting places, is enhanced by the 
proximity of the colossal barrier of wrought iron, which is probably 
unequalled in its style, and whose beauty and renown furnished oc- 
casion for a thoroughly English piece of folly. A son of Albion, 
who had long cherished a wish to see the City of the Czars, chanced 
to hear or read of the rare elegance of this railing. The next day 
he embarked for St. Petersburg. On arriving at Cronstadt, the 
search, of the vessel by the custom-house officers was martyrdom to 
his impatience ; he threw himself into a skiff and sailed up the 
Neva as far as the Summer Garden, — the great object of his dreams 
and aspirations. His guide book in his hand, he lay for hours 
stretched out in the boat, his eyes immovably fixed upon the won- 
derful railing. At last, by a violent effort, he detached them from 
the object of his admiration, and turning to the boatman, " What," 
exclaimed he, "can the city possess that is worth looking at after 
this ? Take me back to Cronstadt !" And without having set foot 
in St. Petersburg, he betook himself once more to his foggy native 
land. 

This Summer Garden possesses another attraction, which it 
shares with no other that I am aware of, save with the garden of 
the Tuileries at Paris. Like the chestnut-shaded avenues of the 
Tuileries, this garden is the afternoon resort of crowds of the most 
charming children, who repair thither, escorted by their mothers and 
nurses, to people the solitary walks, and make the shrubberies re- 
Bound with their innocent mirth. 

Fifteen or sixteen years later theso children reappear upon the 



88 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

same scene, but this time with less artless intentions, and to play a 
more perilous game. On Whitsuntide afternoon are there to be 
seen, ranged in long rows, dressed in their best, and often bedecked 
with costly jewels, the daughters of the middle class of Petersburg- 
ers. Matrimony is the object of the display. It is a Show of 
Brides. 

Young bachelors, disposed to marry, now walk up and down the 
line of damsels, critically inspecting them as they pass. Should 
their eye indicate that they have made a choice, a matchmaking 
friend of the young lady's steps out of the rear rank, joins the 
would-be wooer, and takes a stroll with him through the garden, 
informing him of the girl's circumstances, of her family, dowry, 
housewifely qualities, &c, and obtaining from him similar informa- 
tion concerning himself. Should they so far come to an under- 
standing that the consent of the lady and her parents alone remains 
to be obtained, the matchmaker conducts her candidate to the 
mother, who introduces him to her daughter, invites him to her 
house, and a wedding is the most usual result of the acquaintance 
thus singularly commenced. Odd as it may seem, experience daily 
proves that these marriages, originating entirely in the pleasing im- 
pression and sympathy awakened by a first glance, are for the most 
part productive of much happiness. This is, certainly, attributable 
in great measure to the fact that a Russian of the middle class ex- 
pects very little from his wife ; and the richer he is the less he 
expects. About the qualities and accomplishments which a German 
of the same class takes into consideration when selecting a wife, 
such as education, economy, and the like, the Russian troubles not 
his head. A rich Russian of the middle class requires nothing from 
his wife but that she should be handsome, dress with taste, appear 
elegantly attired the first thing in the morning, and sit all day long 
upon the sofa, doing nothing, or, at most, reading a novel or netting 
a purse. He detests to see his wife busied with domestic matters. 
These are occupations for servants, and should the mistress of the 
house make them hers, she would lower herself not only in her 
husband's eyes, but in those of all around her. To sit in state and 
receive company is the Russian lady's sole business. Under this 
state of things the education of children is of course much less 



A SHOW OF BRIDES. 89 

attended to than were desirable. The boys, however, regularly at- 
tend the schools, or are sent to board at educational institutions ; and 
as to the girls, that which is required from them as women, is, as 
we have already seen, so very little, that how small soever the care 
bestowed upon their bringing up, it nevertheless is found sufficient. 
But I certainly do not advise any German to seek a wife at a 
St. Petersburg Whitsuntide Festival. 

Wedding presents are not customary in Russia. On the other 
hand, there is a long-standing patriarchal custom, which has been 
preserved, with some variations, to the present day. I one morning 
met an acquaintance, who hurried by me with, unusual precipitation. 

" Whither away in such haste V I asked. 

" I have no time to spare," was the reply, " I have bread and 
salt to buy." 

u Bread and salt ! Have you not both at home V 

" I will tell you another time." 

At our next meeting I received an explanation. From time 
immemorial there has existed amongst the Russians a custom that 
a person changing his house should receive from each one of his ac- 
quaintances a loaf and some salt. The meaning of the usage may 
possibly be the kindly wish, — May you never in your new dwelling 
be in want at least of these two things. As the people became more 
polished and refined, they brought the salt in a little barrel, and the 
bread on a plate or in a basket. Later still, when civilization led to 
luxury, these unadorned receptacles were exchanged for costly ones. 
The simple gift of bread and salt was presented in boxes and 
baskets of silver and gold. And at the present day the bread and 
salt are wholly omitted, and the casket stands for the contents. To 
avoid monotony the salt-box is replaced by a costly vase, the bread- 
basket by a service of plate or some other rich present. There is no- 
change, however, in the formula of presentation. As though to ex- 
cuse by verbal humility the exaggeration and extravagance of the 
gift, the donor never fails to beg kindly acceptance of " Bread and 
Salt." 



90 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

COACHMEN AND COURIERS. 

IF the most striking view of St. Petersburg is certainly that which 
is obtained on approaching it by water, the entrance by the high 
road is not less interesting, although on a less grandiose scale. Par- 
ticularly imposing is the first appearance of the city as it presents it- 
self to the sight of the traveller advancing towards it from the south. 
The Moscow Sastawa is a triumphal arch, erected in honour of the 
troops who made the last campaigns in the East. It is very lofty, 
proportion ably broad, composed entirely of cast iron, with bronze 
ornaments, and its simple grandeur has a striking effect. Through 
this gate of honour one passes immediately within the boundary of 
the city, the gilt cupolas of whose countless churches, rising like 
flaming signs at the horizon, seem to greet and welcome the visitor. 
Those things which, in many large cities, so unpleasingly im- 
press strangers on their first arrival — such as the dirt of artisans, the 
smell of tan-yards, the noise of forges, <fcc, are all banished from the 
vicinity of St. Petersburg. On the banks of the Neva, or on the 
quays, the traveller is greeted by the joyous songs and merry gossip 
of troops of young washerwomen, who there pursue their cleanly 
toils all the year round, braving the ardent heat of summer, and the 
iron frosts of a Russian winter. When the river is hard bound with 
ice, holes are cut in its frozen surface, and still the hardy laundress- 
es follow their chilly avocation ; and still by song and jest they 
strive to beguile its pains. Certainly there arc no people in the 
world so cheerful at their work as is the Russian at his. He must 
sing, or he could not work. He sings at the plough as in the har- 
vest-field ; whilst tugging at ropes on ship-board, and over his glass 
in the tavern ; on the box of the post-chaise, and on the top of the 
hay-cart. Singing, he accomplishes the most wearisome marches ; 
singing, he goes into action, and singing he comes out of it — if he 
comes out at all, and with his due complement of legs and arms. 
Give him but his song and his wodka, and he needs nothing else to 
be perfectly happy. It is this innate cheerfulness of deposition that 



COACHMEN AND (JO (TRIERS. 91 

enables him gaily to support the most painful hardships. True it 
is, that by nature the Russian is lazy ; he would gladly pass his life 
singing, drinking, and sleeping, and then again awake to a similar 
round of sensual enjoyment. But when spurred to labour by neces- 
sity, nothing can exceed his fortitude and powers of endurance. 

Observe yonder stately, six-foot high, comfortably full-bodied 
man, with his round face and still rounder beard, in the kaftan of 
fine green cloth, and the square cap of red velvet trimmed with fur. 
The man's habitual mode of life is the most comfortable imagina- 
ble ; the dolce far niente is his profession, and only from time to 
time has he to make certain superhuman exertions. That is the 
Emperor's body-coachman ! Off duty, he lives like a lord of the 
land. You probably imagine that the coachman's natural residence 
is the stable ! but — to err is human ! — our charioteer has never seen 
the stable since he received his last appointment. Whether the 
carriages be in good condition, the horses fat or lean, the harness 
suitable, he troubles not his head. Even as a chamberlain ap- 
proaches the Emperor with the words, " Sire, the carriage is at the 
door !" so does a coachman of the second class present himself be- 
fore the great chief of the stable department and say, "Alexei 
Iwanowitsch, the horses are put to !" Then the comely man with 
the beard rises from his chair, empties his glass, and descends de- 
liberately into the court-yard ; there a groom offers him his arm, 
leaning upon which he gently attains the coach-box, settles himself 
comfortably, and nods. At that nod the reins are handed to him, 
he winds them round his hands, stretches out both arms straight be- 
fore him, settles himself firmly against the box — he neither can nor 
will sit — and, proud as the Emperor on his throne, he drives off. It 
might really be said that he does his work without moving hands 
or feet ; the latter he hardly can move, for he is firmly planted upon 
them, and of the motion of the former you are not aware, for he 
guides the fiery horses with the pressure of the little finger. It is 
only out of affectation that, when he suddenly pulls up, he throws 
his body backwards, clasping both arms to his breast, like a person 
swimming. After a half-hour's drive, he returns home ; the Empe- 
ror alights, and he drives to the court-yard. A groom runs to the 
horses' heads, another helps him off the box, he throws the reins to 



92 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

a coachman, and walks away. His day's work is done. He lias 
driven the Emperor — that is the whole of his duty. For that he 
has officer's rank, a salary of several thousand rubles, and lives in 
clover. But the medal has its reverse ; for it may happen that the 
Emperor, on getting into his carriage, instead of bidding him drive 
to Kamini-Ostrow, gives the word " to Moscow ;" and, just as he 
would have driven seven versts, in the one case, so he drives 726^ 
versts in the other, without pause or refreshment, without closing an 
eye or leaving his box. At certain distances along the whole road 
there are little houses built as halting-places for the Emperor Alex- 
ander ; but Nicholas does not use them ; he seldom alights till he 
reaches Moscow, and, the changes of horses being effected with light- 
ning-swiftness, the coachman has hardly time to toss off a glass of 
wodka. At every post a fresh postilion gets upon the box with him ; 
but the most the postilion is allowed to do is to urge on the horses ; 
the reins never leave the coachman's hands, and thus he gets over 
the one hundred and four German miles, standing, with outstretched 
arms, without food, his attention unceasingly upon the strain, ex- 
posed to every possible variety of temperature — on the box of the 
carriage with twenty-four degrees of heat, and on that of the sledge 
with as many of cold. It has happened that, on his arrival in Mos- 
cow, he was unable to leave his box ; four men lifted him off, he 
was perfectly stiff, his eyes were starting from his head, he had to 
be bled and put in a bath, before his stiffened limbs and overstrained 
nerves resumed life and suppleness. No German could endure such 
enormous fatigue ; the Russian endures it with ease, when he must 
— he who would do nothing all his life long if he might. 

The case of the cabinet-couriers is similar to that of the coach- 
man. Two of the former are constantly on duty in the Emperor's 
cabinet. Perhaps at two o'clock in the morning an aide-de-camp 
brings to one of them a despatch for Lisbon or Naples ; and half-an- 
hour afterwards the courier has left St. Petersburg. And fortunate 
may he think himself when such journeys fall to his lot ; they are 
mere pleasure-trips, for he soon reaches the frontier, and then he 
makes himself comfortable — avails himself of railroads and of post- 
chaises ; which latter, even were they everywhere as bad as on the 
road from Vienna to Prague, would still be state-carriages compared 



COACHMEN AND COURIERS. 93 

to a Russian britschka. Seated on a board covered with a thick 
leathern cushion, in a wooden vehicle without springs or back to 
lean against, and on a level with the traces, the courier travels at 
full gallop over the most wretched roads, without rest or repose, to 
Odessa, to Chiva, or even to Port St. Peter and St. Paul, 12,800 
versts from St. Petersburg. Add to this, that the courier, so long as 
he is on Russian ground, is forbidden, under pain of dismissal, to 
close an eye in sleep. On such tremendous journeys as the last re- 
ferred to, nature becomes at last too powerful for duty to resist her 
call, and the harassed courier allows himself brief repose. But it has 
often occurred that when the despatches reached their place of des- 
tination, their bearer was unable to deliver them : he lay a corpse in 
the carriage. 

Less fatiguing than the journeys of these couriers, but still 
far from agreeable to the foreigner, is the travelling with post-horses, 
or by diligences. By the first mode he is very much at the mercy 
of chance. If he quits St. Petersburg provided with a good pad- 
roschnik (an official document to procure him post-horses), and 
if he finds no competition at the posting-houses, he gets on pretty 
well. But if he has not the paper in question, or if there happens 
to be a demand for, and consequent scarcity of, horses at the relay- 
ing-places, he may abandon all calculation as to the probable pro- 
gress of his journey, and resign himself to the will of Providence. 
Supposing him to have at last got his horses, and to have left the 
■oost-house far behind, he yet has no certainty when he may reach 
the next ; for he may chance to fall in with a courier, or with 
an officer travelling on service, to whose horses some accident has 
happened, and who forthwith, and without the slightest ceremony, 
stops the luckless stranger, takes the cattle from his carriage, har- 
nesses them to his own, and gallops off, perfectly indifferent 
as to the fate of the man whom he thus leaves horseless and help- 
less upon the Emperor's highway. The traveller by sledge — say 
even from Riga to St. Petersburg, between which places the road is 
tolerably good — may deem himself fortunate if he does not get lost 
in the night; and may thank, for his safety, the quick ears of his 
postilion, who, hearing his cry of distress, pulls up and waits until 
he can pick himself up out of the snow, into which (and out of the 



94 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

sledge) a sudden violent jolt has shot him. I would strongly advise 
every body who has to travel from Petersburg to Moscow, or to the 
Prussian frontier, to go by the diligences ; which, as far as Moscow, 
and also on the road, to Tauroggen, are very comfortable, and 
arranged quite in the German manner. By these diligences the 
travelling is very rapid, and remarkably cheap. From Petersburg 
to Tauroggen the fare is somewhat more than thirty Prussian dol- 
lars (41. 10s.) But as to those persons who are compelled to journey 
into the interior of Russia, I can only say " Heaven help them !" 

At St. Petersburg, when the stranger alights, weary and worn- 
out, from his travelling carriage, he finds another little trial to pass 
through before reaching his hotel. The droschki which conveys 
him thither consists of a cushioned seat, four feet long, with a back 
one foot high, and with splash -leathers on both sides to keep off the 
mud. His safest plan, perhaps, is to sit astride on it ; for, if he 
places himself sideways, he rather hangs on than sits, and is apt to 
find himself, at any moment, stretched at full-length on the pave- 
ment. This is very bad, although it is being almost continually re- 
paired ; but the nature of the soil, partly sandy, and partly marshy, 
is the cause that no good foundation can ever be obtained. Various 
streets, as for instance the Newsky Perspective, the Great and the 
Little Morskoje, and some others, are paved with wood, which is a 
great advantage both to those who drive through them, and to those 
who dwell in them. The houses in those streets where this mode 
of paving does not prevail, suffer greatly, particularly when the 
streets are narrow, from the vibration caused by the perpetual traffic. 
In consequence of this, even the Newsky lost one of its greatest or- 
naments; formerly it had on either side an alley of trees ; to which, 
nowever, the constant rattle of carriages was so obnoxious, that the 
whole of them withered and died. 

Independently of its being preferable as regards the duration of 
buildings and carriages, the wood pavement is as agreeable to those 
who drive in the latter, by reason of the uniform pleasant motion, as 
it is acceptable to those who reside in the former, on account of the 
great diminution of noise. For horses, on the other hand, it is very 
dangerous, especially in damp weather, when they easily slip down 
and injure themselves. This way of paving is extremely expensive, 



THEATRES. 95 

even in St. Petersburg, where wood is nothing like so dear as in 
Germany. The labour of laying it down is also very great. First 
is placed a layer of masonry ; or, better than that, of square-hewn 
blocks of wood, each about a cubic foot. These are fitted tip-lit 
in ; then the chinks are filled up with pitch, which is also 
spread over the entire surface. The wooden pavement comes 
over this. It consists of a second tier of square blocks, simi- 
lar to those of the first layer, and disposed in precisely the same 
manner. The blocks are merely hewn with the axe, but it is won- 
derful with what exactitude this is done : they are all as precisely 
alike as one drop of water is to another, and are as smooth as if 
they had been carefully planed. This pavement lasts longer than 
the stone one, which is in more general use ; nevertheless it is con- 
stantly under repair. Louis Philippe once proposed to pave all 
Paris at his own cost. It is difficult, in this instance, to give him 
credit for a generous motive, or to think that he had merely the im- 
provement of his capital at heart ; his object more probably was to 
supply barricade-makers with a softer material. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THEATRES. 



FOR the beginning of the season, between the middle and the 
end of September, everybody returns to the capital, and only 
the highest nobility, the immediate court circle, remain in the coun- 
try as long as the royal family stop there. At the end of October 
these also come back to town, and then approaches the period when 
St. Petersburg is seen in its greatest glory and brilliancy. It were 
labour lost to attempt to describe the splendour of the court festivals, 
of the balls, assemblies, and masquerades ; to form a correct idea of 
them, one must have seen them. 

The return of the court gives fresh life and vigour to the artis- 
tical world, and the drama flourishes in the beams of imperial 
patronage. The Emperor visits the theatres almost daily, especially 
the French play, which is particularly the court theatre. It stands 



96 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

in the heart of the city, opposite the Michael's Palace, and was a 
birthday surprise of the Emperor's to the grandduchess Helena. Its 
exterior differing in no respect from that of the adjacent buildings, 
she had no notion of the existence of a theatre in the immediate 
neighbourhood of her palace, until the Emperor conducted her thither 
to witness the first performance. 

The name of the Michael's Theatre was given to it in honour 
of her husband. Compared to the other theatres it is small, hardly 
so large as, certainly not larger than, the Berlin playhouse, but it 
is the most comfortable of all of them. Its unpretending and sim- 
ple elegance, its cheerful aspect and commodious arrangement, par- 
ticularly adapt it for a rendezvous of the best society. The whole 
house, both before and behind the curtain, is lighted — such at least 
was still the case in 1844 — with oil, but so well lighted that there 
was not a corner where one could not easily read the smallest 
writing. And there is no lack of brilliant dresses, which at once 
benefit and are benefited by the good lighting. The internal ar- 
rangement of the house is capital. The stalls are as roomy and 
comfortable as arm-chairs, which is the name by which they go* 
boxes and pit are apportioned into a fixed number of places, and 
beyond that number no tickets are issued. Although there are 
broad passages through the pit and to the orchestra, no one, except 
the officer on duty, is allowed to stand up in the house ; at the en 
trance, door-keepers, in rich liveries, receive the tickets and open the 
doors and seats ; the servants who have charge of the refreshments 
are also in handsome liveries ; everything, in short, is arranged with 
the utmost regard to comfort and convenience, with a sort of modest 
sumptuosity, and without consideration of expense. An even steady 
light is thrown upon the stage, which leaves nothing to be desired 
with respect to decorations, properties, and costumes. It is rather 
different when we come to the repertory of plays ; that is a medley 
which I defy any one to comprehend. Setting aside high tragedy, 
to which they do not aspire, this French company, which upon the 
whole is not very strong, performs almost all the novelties that ap- 
pear in Paris. They give farces, vaudevilles, comedies, dramas, even 
tragedies, such as Victor Hugo's Angele. To these latter they are 
not equal, and their performance of dramas does not rise above re-? 



THEATRES. 97 

spectability. On the other hand, the performances at this theatre 
are excellent in the lighter styles of comedy and vaudeville, for 
which there is altogether a most effective company. But even to 
the higher style of comedy they are not uniformly equal. I saw 
them perform Moliere's Malade Imaginaire, for one of the first ap- 
pearances of Mademoiselle Dupont, — an excellent actress, whom I 
had known in Paris, whither she has lately been recalled by the 
management of the Theatre Francais. She appeared first in the 
part of the Duchess of Marlborough in Le Verve cPJEau, where, as 
in some other modern plays, she had very little to say. But in the 
Malade jfyiaginaire her talents made her conspicuous amongst all 
her comrades, and it was quite evident that she was the only per- 
former in that company who understood how Moliere should be 
acted. The French have very good, very capital actors ; truth, 
however, compels me to declare that those at St. Petersburg, with 
the exception of Mademoiselle Dupont, were for the most part 
greatly overrated. Vernet and Paul Minet are first-rate comic per- 
formers ; Dufour is an excellent actor of characteristic parts ; Made- 
moiselle Alexandre Meyer was exquisite in naive and sentimental 
characters, as was Madame Allan in a graver department. M. Allan 
was a very respectable sedate lover, and M. Bressan took the part 
of 'premier amoureux. Both were good actors, nothing more, but 
both were praised and prized as if they had been artists of the very 
highest rank; and the last-named was actually made an idol of, 
especially by the ladies. This, however, was all natural enough. 
The French theatre enjoyed the highest patronage ; it had become 
the fashion, it was considered bon ton to frequent it, and its per- 
formances were subject of conversation in the most aristocratic 
drawing-rooms ; the management did all in their power to keep up 
its brilliancy and vogue. All these things, combined with its real 
merits, could not fail to render it the spoiled child of the public ; 
but, nevertheless, it was decidedly overrated. This theatre, too, was 
an example of the excellent influence an able administration — there 
represented in the person of M. Peissard — when properly supported 
by the directors, has upon the ensemble and " working together" of 
the whole enterprise. 

If the Russian National Theatre is behind the French one in 



98 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

public favour, it is before it in real merit; although, like the pro- 
phets, it is not duly honoured in its own country. I do not here 
refer so much to its merit as an artistic institution, as to the non- 
recognition of the talent of the performers, of which it unites a 
greater amount than any other theatre I am acquainted with. In 
Martinow especially, it possesses an actor, who, as the French say, 
is an artist to his very finger-ends. I do not hesitate to set him 
down as the greatest theatrical genius of the day. At any rate 
the celebrated Bouffe, who, in Paris, is held to be the first living 
representative of that line of acting, cannot support comparison with 
him. 

The Russians allot the palm of good acting to the elder Ka- 
ratejin, but I cannot coincide with their opinion, for I consider him 
an inferior artist to Martinow. At the same time I must observe 
that it is impossible to establish a comparison between tragedy, 
which is Karatejin's line, and the class of plays in which Martinow 
performs. 

Of all the people of the earth, the Russian, perhaps, possesses 

the greatest faculty of imitation, and the most complete technical 
aptness to render it available. Of him it is literally true, that what 
his eye seeth his hand can do ; but it is absolutely necessary for 
him to see, for invention he has none. That is visible in all his 
works ; in his buildings, manufactures, trades, and even in his pur- 
suit of art. But as an imitator he is unrivalled, and that is what 
makes him so good an actor of farce and comedy, which require 
less the creative power of imagination than the reproductive faculty, 
and an acute observation of the daily appearances of life. These 
he renders with wonderful fidelity. In his own speciality of mim- 
icry he is quite unapproachable. I shall never forget the acting of 
Martinow in the Russian version of the Pere de la Debutante. It 
was a masterpiece of art. The character of the father is considered 
in Germany a comic part, and the actor's efforts are directed to 
make his audience laugh. I laughed, certainly, at the Alexander 
Theatre, and more heartily than I remember ever to have laughed 
before, but the actor's intention to produce this effect was not dis- 
cernible ; the poor father was in no jocose humour ; the unfortunate 
old fellow, on the contrary, endured the most frightful torments ; 



THEATRES. g 

the sweat-drops hung upon liis brow ; the martyrdom of hi* jart 
and his many sufferings, made the bright tears gush from hi eyes. 
Insensibly a sort of remorse of conscience crept over me for laugh- 
ing at such a poor, harassed, tortured creature in the midst of his 
pains. But yet, who could help laughing ? Nevertheless, and in 
spite of the perfection of his acting, the palm of the evening was 
not for Martinow. The Russian adapter of the piece from the 
French had introduced a somewhat frivolous scene, in which the debu- 
tante is introduced to the director of the theatre. The actor, Samia- 
low, availed himself of this opportunity to take off a former intend- 
ant of the theatres, Prince Narischkin. I did not know the origi- 
nal ; but that the actor mimicked some person who had once exist- 
ed, was quite clear to me, for there was individuality in every tone, 
look, and gesture. The audience was in an ecstacy of delight, par- 
ticularly its older members, to whom was now presented a living 
reminiscence of their youth, and who, for the sake of this one scene, 
would never miss the performance at which they had, perhaps, 
already laughed full fifty times. 

The house in which the Russians perform is the Alexander The- 
atre. It is about the size of the Berlin Opera House, but is not 
nearly so richly decorated. Indeed, I know no theatre which can 
approach the latter for the grandeur and brilliancy of its arrange- 
ment and fitting up. The Alexander Theatre is not inviting to the 
eye, not well lit, and especially not comfortable. The passages, 
leading to the seats, form a perfect labyrinth. Let no one, in the 
event of an alarm of fire, separate himself from the throng to seek 
exit by a side path ; for only by a most extraordinary chance could 
he hope to succeed. It was in this theatre that I saw the Emperor 
for the first time. He came late, would not allow any one in the 
box to stand up when he entered, and, without ceremony, and in 
full view of the public, kissed all his children, great and small, so 
that you could hear it in the pit. The audience took not the 
least notice, and seemed quite accustomed to such patriarchal 
scenes. 

The German company is by no means the most favoured in St. 
Petersburg. They perform alternately with the French at the 
Michael's Theatre, and use the French decorations, and whatever is 



100 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

fixed and fast; but the elegant French, wardrobe warns them off 
with a " noli me tangere ! " The German wardrobe is very poor ; 
the Russian theatre gives them some little assistance in this respect, 
but anything in the way of novelties is very hard to obtain. Earn- 
est remonstrances are of little avail ; more may be accomplished by 
an apposite jest. For instance, I once had to perform Belisarius ; 
the costume was complete — all but the cloak, which was absent. 
Three successive requisitions for one were rejected. At last I ad- 
dressed myself to General GedeonofF, director-in-chief of the the- 
atres ; he referred me to the wardrobe of Karatejin, who played the 
same part, but was a man of gigantic stature. All my applications 
were fruitless ; the constant reply to them was, " Take Karatejin's 
cloak." At last I retorted : " As your excellency pleases ; but if 
I am to have recourse to Karatejin's wardrobe, the only thing I can 
do will be to borrow one of his handkerchiefs to wear as a Greek 
mantle." The general laughed, and signed an order for the neces- 
sary garment. 

Besides the manager, every theatre in St. Petersburg has an offi- 
cial personage attached to it, whose duty is general supervision and 
to note casualties and deficiencies. At the German theatre this post 
was filled by a German employe, a good sort of fellow who troubled 
himself little with anything beyond seeing that the young figu- 
rantes and chorus-singers were nicely dressed. One day the Court 
suddenly announced its intention of being present at my benefit, 
then close at hand. Nobody was prepared for this novelty, and 
there was great bustle and running about in consequence. Messen- 
gers were scampering over the city, hunting for General GedeonofF, 
who showed himself at the German theatre scarcely once in eight 
performances ; the German superintendent had a grand parade of 
figurantes, walking gentlemen, &c, and inspected them from head to 
foot, and called me to account because one of them had dusty boots. 
I wondered what made him all of a sudden so anxious in his in- 
spection. "The Court is coming," replied he, " that is a great rarity 
here, and everything must be clean and bright." " Certainly," I 
answered, " and so ought everything to be every day of the week, 
and if you would more frequently see that the boots are well pol- 
ished, and all corresponding matters in good order, the Court would 



THEATRES. 101 

doubtless oftener come to see the Germans act." The superin- 
tendent held his peace and went his way, whilst the French scene- 
painter, who had heard the conversation, tapped me on the shoul- 
der, and said, parodying Charles X.'s famous mot, and pointing to 
the departing official, " Ce rfest qu'un ennemi de plus /" 

At that time the German theatre was in a better state than it 
had been for years previously. At the performance for my benefit 
the Court were very much gratified. The Emperor testified to me, 
through General GedeonofF, and subsequently, through Prince Wol- 
konsky, his gracious approbation of my exertions both as actor and 
as manager, sent me the next day a present of a costly diamond 
ring, but did not return to the theatre. Soon afterwards came 
Emile Devrient, provided with strong recommendations ; the most 
influential persons at court interested themselves for his perform- 
ances, but were unable to seduce the court, then resident at Peter- 
hof, to a single one of them. At last their exertions were so far 
successful that the German company was allowed to give a per- 
formance at the Peterhof palace. The piece selected was the Land- 
wirth, and Devrient was really capital ; with him performed Lilia 
Lowe, a truly charming actress, whose marriage has been a great 
loss to the German stage. The performance went off excellently 
well, the audience were perfectly satisfied, and the next day Dev- 
rient received a valuable ring, but — no second performance took 
place, whilst the French company, although lacking the charm of 
novelty, had the honour, once a week or oftener, of being summon- 
ed to act at the country residence of the court. Such is the fate 
of German art, and of German artists. 

The largest of the St. Petersburg theatres is the Stone Theatre 
{Camino Theairo), whose dimensions are quite colossal. There 
German and Kussian operas and ballets are given. Although 
every thing possible is done to encourage the Russian opera, it has 
never yet been able to raise itself to the rank of the German, which 
in its turn was utterly eclipsed by the appearance of the Italian 
opera. 

It was at Easter, 1842, that General GedeonofF, then director 
of the imperial theatres at St. Petersburg, had the honour of being 
appointed by the Emperor Director in Chief of all the " imperial" 



102 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

theatres in the empire. This appointment was a disastrous one for 
German theatricals in Russia. The comprehensive title in fact ex- 
tended the general's power only to the Moscow theatres, for no 
other city in Russia has " imperial" theatres, but that extension suf- 
ficed to deal the deathblow to German dramatic art in St. Petersburg. 
This is an appropriate place to say a few words concerning the 
character of the officer who exercises so important an influence on 
Russian theatricals. General GedeonofT is a man of extensive ac- 
quirements, rare administrative talents, quick perception, intermina- 
ble routine, indefatigable activity, and of almost incredible perse- 
verance. He is good-natured, but passionate and violent. He 
loves art just as far as, and no farther than, the Court loves it ; he 
patronises the style which the Court views with favour, and is apt, 
moreover, to estimate the value of a performance by the sum it 
brings in. From the moment of his appointment as Director-Ge- 
neral of all the imperial theatres, he planned the establishment of 
an Italian opera in St. Petersburg — undeterred by the total failure 
of a previous attempt of the kind. In the autumn of 1842 he in- 
ducted a brilliant Italian company into the spacious Camino 
Theatro, and to this undertaking the sacrifice was, as usual, the 
Germans. To make room for the Italian opera, the German opera 
was sent to Moscow for that winter. But this was the death-war- 
rant also of the German dramatic company, which was enabled to 
produce pieces of any importance only by the co-operation of the 
members of the operatic corps, through whose loss it was now so re- 
duced in numbers — whilst nothing was done to fill up the vacancies 
— that the modest circle of its capabilities was very soon determined. 
According as the receipts diminished, the number of performances 
was lessened, until, towards the end of the winter, the}^ occurred 
but once or twice a week ; proof sufficient that they declined in 
favour in the same ratio as the cashbox grew lighter. The success 
of the Italians proving triumphant, they returned to St. Petersburg 
for the season of 1843-4, and again the Germans were packed off 
to Moscow. The result of the second season being as satisfactory 
as that of the first, in the spring of 1 844 the Italian opera was per- 
manently established in St. Petersburg, and the German, as might 
be expected, dispensed with. Such, in St. Petersburg, is the fate of 



THEATRES. 103 

the beautiful in art. With the discarded operatic company depart 
ed also those members of the dramatic corps who had sufficient 
talents to ensure success elsewhere, or who were not detained in St. 
Petersburg by the prospect of a pension. The German theatre sank 
into its former mediocrity. The immense success of the Italians in 
St. Petersburg has maintained itself to the present day, and, if no 
warlike alarms operate unfavourably on their position, a long and 
brilliant popularity may be foretold them. The triumphs there 
achieved by some of the principal singers can hardly be described 
with mere words. Only those persons who have witnessed the en- 
thusiasm of Spanish and Italian audiences can form an idea of 
them. Above all, Rubini, although he then possessed but the tra- 
dition of his voice, and the admirable Viardot Garcia, were the 
heroes of the day. The first was appointed singer to the imperial 
chamber, and Prince Wolkonsky himself was present in the Win- 
ter Palace at the ceremony of his investiture with the uniform of 
that post. At his benefit a golden laurel wreath was thrown upon 
the stage, and at Garcia's benefit such a rain of flowers fell around 
her that she literally waded through them, and they had to be car- 
ried off the stage in great wash-baskets. Bearing in mind that this 
was in February, when in St. Petersburg a rose costs twenty rubles, 
and a handsome garland or bouquet eighty to a hundred rubles, 
I shall not be exceeding the truth if I say that on that day a for- 
tune faded on the singer's bosom. Could there be a more charac- 
teristic trait of the luxury and extravagance of the Petersburgers ? 
Without positively asserting it, I yet fully believe that many a 
young man that evening laid the foundation of pectoral disease. 
What I can positively affirm is, that many sonorous powerful voices 
in my neighborhood, which, when the curtain fell, nearly deafened 
me with their furious acclamations and calls for the great singer, 
were totally extinct at the end of the uproarious interlude, which 
lasted full half an hour. During that time Garcia had to present 
herself at least twenty times to these extravagant admirers, who at 
last, completely hoarse and exhausted with such riotous applause, 
left the theatre to try to regain their voices against the next per- 
formance. 

The ballet occupies a very prominent position on the St. Peters- 



104 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

burg stage, and is cherished with infinite care. Indeed so great 
are the taste, artistic feeling, and pecuniary means expended upon 
it, that it may boldly place itself in competition with the first in 
Europe. The ballet-master, Titus, and the machinist, Roller, have 
done it good service ; the corps de ballet is excellent, and amongst 
the most prominent native talent I may name Mademoiselle Adria- 
now, whose taste and aplomb in the performance of the most difficult 
steps cannot but content the most fastidious judges, and who in 
grace and elasticity is not inferior even to Taglioni. 

I must not conclude this chapter without speaking of two insti- 
tutions, whose like is nowhere to be found : I refer to the Institution 
for Pensions, and to the Theatrical School. 

Upon the first of these two establishments all persons have 
claims who have served the stage in an artistical capacity, and for a 
period fixed by law. The mode of pensioning is various. Russians 
get a double pension, but must serve, in order to obtain it, twice as 
long as foreigners. The law prescribes that, after twenty years' ser- 
vice, and two years more, known as " grateful years," every artist, 
employed in an imperial theatre, has a right to retire on full pay. 
This full pay, however, never exceeds in Russia the sum of 4000 
rubles banco, or 180/. sterling. But the fixed salary constitutes only 
a small part of the earnings of the more popular actors. Allow- 
ances for each performance (feux), and benefits, often multiply their 
profits five or six fold. Karatejin, Martinow, and others, draw fifty 
to a hundred rubles of feux every time they act ; and their benefits 
at the great Alexander Theatre often bring them in 3000 rubles and 
more. When they have served their twenty years without inter- 
ruption, a pension is decreed them, and they thenceforward receive, 
from the imperial treasury, the same salary as they before got from 
the theatre, but are bound to serve two more years, gratis ; that is 
to say, that they receive from the theatre, during those two years, 
only their feux and the amount of their customary benefits. So 
that, in fact, they serve twenty-two years before they are completely 
pensioned. The two " grateful" years over, they are at liberty to 
retire from the stage, or — still drawing their 4000 rubies pension — ; 
to enter into a fresh contract with the management. As Russian 
actors, for the most part pupils issuing from the theatrical school^ 



TEE ATE ES. 105 

usually go on the stage very ea ly, they often get a pension before 
they are forty years old, and can very well take a new engagement. 
As regards foreign actors, a different arrangement exists. To be 
eligible for a pension they need to serve only ten successive years, 
and the two " grateful" years are not required of them. The 
amount of their pensions was formerly regulated by that of their 
salaries, but of late years another plan has been adopted. By this 
the pensioners are divided into two classes. The first of these, con- 
sisting of persons whose salary was of 1000 rubles or less, receive 
pensions of 1000 rubles ; all whose salary was above 1000, receive 
a pension of 2000 rubles, which is the highest given. This sweep- 
ing arrangement led to some odd results, which fortunately, however, 
were to nobody's disadvantage. Thus there was an instance of a 
member of the orchestra, whose salary was only 500 rubles, obtain- 
ing a pension of 1000 at the expiration of his ten years' service ; 
twice as much, that is to say, for doing nothing, as he had received 
for working. Foreigners who obtain these pensions are at liberty to 
go and spend them where they please, and after their death they 
are continued to their wives and children. Lately, however, the 
term of service after which a foreigner may claim a pension, has 
been increased from ten to fifteen years. 

The other institution to which I referred at the commencement of 
this chapter, is the Theatrical School, and a most remarkable insti- 
tution it is. Founded originally on the model of the Conservatory 
at Paris, it is far more comprehensive and complete. I am un- 
acquainted with the manner in which admission is obtained. It 
may depend on the personal recommendations of the children, or 
on the interest that can be made for them. All that I know is that, 
once admitted, every facility and advantage is afforded that may be 
expected to conduct the pupils to success and fame. They are 
lodged in a palatial edifice, which also includes the director's dwell- 
ing, his offices, the counting-house, theatrical library and wardrobe. 
Here, as in all the imperial schools, the most ample provision is 
made for the material and intellectual wants of the scholars of both 
sexes. The direction given to their studies is of course chiefly 
artistical. Besides the instruction usually imparted at schools, they 
have the benefit of the very best teachers of declamation, music 
5* 



1 06 PICTURES FR OM ST. P ETFRSB URG. 

singing, dancing, rhetoric, drawing, &c. On the recommendation 
of Countess Kossi, General Gedeonoff sent to Vienna, in the year 
1840, for that lady's former instructress, Madame Czecca, and in- 
stalled her as chief of the singing department, with a salary of 4000 
rubles. For St. Petersburg this appears rather poor pay. But it 
was the least part of the value of the appointment. The teacher of 
the most renowned of Germany's sweet singers was appointed to 
give lessons to the Grand-duchesses Olga and Alexandra, as well as 
to the daughter of the Grand-duke Michael. She became the rage 
at St. Petersburg ; the highest of the Russian aristocracy were eager 
to have their daughters instructed by her who had taught Sontag ; 
her lessons were sought at extravagant prices, and she was over- 
whelmed with rich presents. Without reckoning these last, Madame 
Czecca's yearly income was not less than 20,000 rubles banco. 
This was rather a different figure from that which her talent had 
achieved for her in Germany ; at Leipzig, for instance, where, under 
the splendid management of Counsellor Kiistner, she received 90/. 
sterling per annum as music mistress ; or in Vienna, where the 
highest nobility think themselves extremely generous if they pay for 
the highest class of instruction in singing and music at the rate of 
two florins a lesson. At St. Petersburg Madame Czecca never gave 
a lesson at her own house under fifteen or twenty rubles ; or under 
twenty-five or thirty rubles if she went out to give it. Once she 
went to the house of the Countess Scheremetiew rather after the 
appointed time, and pleaded, by way of apology, that owing to the 
very bad weather she had had to wait for a hackney coach. Upon 
the day fixed for the next lesson an elegant carriage went to fetch 
her, and when it had taken her home again, the coachman begged 
to know where he should put it up. Two lines from the Countess 
Scheremetiew begged her kind acceptance of " this little present." 



HENRIETTA SONTAG. 107 

CHAPTER XVI. 

HENRIETTA SONTAG.* 

LET not every singing mistress, however great her ability, antici- 
pate such good fortune at St. Petersburg as that which Mad- 
ame Czecca met with. She was indebted for her favourable recep- 
tion to the gratitude of the amiable ambassadress, her former pupil, 
who not only recommended her, but sang at a public concert for 
her benefit. This would have been nothing for Mademoiselle Son- 
tag ; for the Countess Rossi, in the midst of the high Russian aris- 
tocracy, and of their haughty prejudices, it was an incredible deal. 
The concert was the most brilliant of the season, and its net pro- 
ceeds were 14,000 rubles. 

The day after the concert, Madame Czecca showed the Countess 
the cash account of 1 its results. 

" Ah ! Henrietta," said she, " what have you done for me ! " 
" For you ? " cried the Countess, and threw herself, sobbing 
aloud, into her arms. " For you ? no, for myself ! Ah ! once more, 
after many years, have I enjoyed an hour of the purest and most 
complete happiness. Providence has done everything for me ; has 
given me rank, riches, reputation, the love of a man whom I adore, 
the possession of hopeful and charming children : and yet, dear 
Czecca, how shall I explain to you ? But you will divine my feel- 
ings : the element of my existence is wanting. The sight of a 
theatre saddens me ; — the triumph of a singer humbles me ; — the 

* English readers will be apt to smile at the thoroughly German style and 
sentiment of this chapter, which I at first thought of omitting, as wholly irrel- 
evant to the subject of the book, but afterwards decided literally to translate, 
(as literally, at least, as its complicated and exaggerated phraseology would 
permit,) that it might not be said that Mr. Jerrman's really interesting 
volume had been given to the English public in a mutilated form. For the 
same reason, I have retained the preceding chapter, on theatricals, por- 
tions of which address themselves more especially to actors and dramatic dilet- 
tanti than to general readers. It is hard to say from what reporter Mr. Jerr- 
mann obtained his very minute and circumstantial account of Madame Sontag's 
rhapsodical conversation with Madame Czecca and affecting interview with the 
Armenian, or how far we are indebted to his imagination for the high-flown 
dialogue of this green-room pastoral. — T. 



108 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

sound of the organ, which summons others to devotion, drives me 
from the sanctuary. I am a fallen priestess, who has broken her 
vow. Art, which I have betrayed, now spurns me, and her angry 
spirit follows me like an avenging spectre." 

Bathed in tears, she sank upon the sofa. 

" But Hetty," said Madame Czecca, trying to console her, " you 
are still an artist now as ever, and an artist you ever must be. You 
still practise your art, and if the circle you now enchant is but a, 
small one, on the other hand, it is so much the more select. The 
admiration of princely saloons may well compensate you for the 
applause of crowded theatres." 

" ISTo, no, no ! " exclaimed the Countess, springing quickly up, 
" nothing can compensate the artist for abandoning her vocation ; 
— nothing, nothing in the wide world ! They praise, and natter, 
and worship me ! What care I for all that ? Can they do other- 
wise ? They are all friends and acquaintances of my husband — our 
daily circle. I am still young, not ugly, courteous to every one. 
People are grateful for the momentary pastime I procure them. 
Perhaps, too, they are glad of opportunities to indemnify the singer 
for an occasional moment's oblivion of the Countess. But think, 
Czecca, of the stage with its heavenly illusions! the sacred fervour 
which thrills us on the curtain's rising ! the passionate anxiety 
which impels us, and the timidity which holds us back ; the feverish 
ecstasy that throbs in all our veins ! Such must be the hero's emo- 
tion when he plunges, eager for the fray, into the battle's whirl, 
confident of victory, and yet full of anxious anticipations. And 
then the public! — that public over each individual member of 
which our knowledge as artists elevates us ; but which, collectively, 
is the respectable tribunal whose verdict we tremblingly await ; — 
you well know, my friend, how often we bitterly censure its capri- 
ces, how often we laugh amongst ourselves at its mistaken judg- 
ments ; and yet, yet, it is this public, this combination of education 
and ignorance, of knowledge and stupidity, of taste and rudeness — 
this motley mass it is, which, for money, say for a single paltry 
coin, has purchased the right to be amused by us, and to avenge 
on our honour a disappointed expectation. To curb that wild pow- 
er, and lead it away captive ; to unite that vast assemblage, without 



HENR1E7TA SONTAG. 109 

distinction of rank or refinement, in one emotion of delight, and to 
make it weep or laugh at "will ; to transmit to it the sacred fire of 
inspiration that glows in our own breast, to captivate it by the pow- 
er of harmony, by the omnipotence of art : that is sublime, divine, 
— that elevates the artist above the earth, above ordinary existence. 
Oh, Czecca, Czecca ! once more let me befool Bartholo, once more 
let me fall beneath Othello's dagger, amidst the echoes of Rossini's 
heavenly music, and no complaint shall again escape me : I then 
shall be content ; for then I shall once again have lived." 

She sank, sobbing, upon the sofa. A servant entered and 
announced a stranger, who earnestly insisted to speak with the 
Countess. A denial had no other result than to produce an urgent 
repetition of the request. 

" Impossible !" cried the Countess : " I can see no one, thus 
agitated, and with my eyes red from weeping." 

"Never mind that," said Madame Czecca, "you are not the 
less handsome ; and perhaps it is some unfortunate person whom 
you can assist." 

The last argument prevailed. Madame Czecca left the room,, and 
the stranger was shown in. 

He was a tall figure, in Armenian costume. His grey beard 
flowed down to his girdle ; his large sparkling eyes were ardent and 
expressive. For a few moments he stood in silent contemplation of 
the Countess ; and only on her repeated inquiry of the motive of 
his visit, did he seem to collect his thoughts ; and then, in a some- 
what unconnected manner, explained his errand. 

"I am a merchant from Charkow," he said, " and my life is en- 
tirely engrossed by my business and my family. Beyond those, I 
have only one passion, namely, for music and song. The great 
fame which the Countess formerly enjoyed in the artistical world, 
reached even to our remote town, and my most ardent wish has 
ever been to have one opportunity of hearing and admiring her. 
Your retirement from the stage seemed to have frustrated this wish 
for ever, when suddenly we learned that, out of gratitude to your 
former teacher, you had resolved once more to appear before 
the public, and sing at her concert. Unable to resist my desire to 
hear you, I left business, wife, and children, and hastened hither. I 



HO PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

arrived yesterday, and had no sooner alighted than I sent for tickets. 
It was in vain ; at no price was oneto be obtained. Countess, I 
cannot return home without hearing you. You are so good : yester- 
day, for love of a friend, you sang in public ; make an old man hap- 
py, and rejoice his heart with half a verse of a song; I shall then 
have heard you, and shall not have made this long journey in vain." 

As the dewdrops of night are absorbed by the bright rays of the 
morning sun, so did the last traces of tears disappear from the smil- 
ing countenance of the charming woman. With that amiable grace 
which is peculiarly her own, she drew an arm-chair near the piano 
for the old man, and seating herself at the instrument, abandoned 
herself to the inspirations of her genius. Her rosy fingers flew over 
the keys, — the prelude echoed through the spacious saloon ; the 
Countess had disappeared — Henrietta Sontag was herself again ; or, 
rather, she was Uesdemona in person. 

The song was at an end : the musician, transported for the mo- 
ment into higher regions, returned gradually to earth, and to con- 
sciousness. She looked round at her audience. The old Armenian 
was upon his knees beside her, pressing the folds of her dress to his 
brow. After the pause which followed the song, he raised his coun- 
tenance ; its expression was of indescribable delight — mingled, how- 
ever, with a trace of sadness. He would have risen, would have 
spoken ; but could not. The singer's little hand came to his assist- 
ance. He pressed it convulsively to his lips, rose to his feet, and, 
in so doing, slipped a costly diamond ring from his finger to hers. 
Then he tottered to the door. There he stopped, turned round, and 
fixing a long and penetrating gaze upon the singer. " Alas !" he 
exclaimed, in tones of deepest melancholy, " how great the pity !" 
And, with the last word upon his lips, he disappeared. 

Henrietta Sontag returned to her piano : she would have con- 
tinued singing, but her voice failed her. Deeply affected, she rested 
her head upon the music-stand, and, in mournful accents, repeated 
the Armenian's words. " Yes," she said, aloud, " the pity is great 
indeed." And, sadly pondering, she sank upon the sofa.* 

* Years after these lines were first published, news reached us of the bril- 
liant triumph which, in London, had been achieved by art over social preju- 
dices. Genius had cast off the cramping fetters of convenance. Henrietta 



CONCERTS. 1 1 1 

CHAPTER XVII. 

CONCERTS. 

ALTHOUGH I have already described the various public amuse- 
ments of St. Petersburg, I now return to the subject, in order to 
supply ampler details of one of the most prominent and popular 
amongst them, namely, concerts. During the greater part of the 
year these are completely tabooed. Throughout the whole winter 
concerts are things almost unheard of, until Lent arrives. During 
the seven weeks' fast their reign continues — a reign which is abso- 
lute in proportion to its brevity. The Petersburgers so gorge them- 
selves at the musical banquet, that they are sick of concerts for the 
rest of the year. When Lent comes, the theatres are closed, danc- 
ing-music is forbidden, and concerts have undisputed possession of 
the field. There are often half-a-dozen in a day. They begin at 
noon and last till an advanced hour of the night. Everybody goes 
to them every day, and often to two or three in one day. In spite of 
their seeming excess, they are always more or less well attended. 
This is partly accounted for by the circumstance that, at the season 
in question, a perfect army of virtuosi from all parts of Europe 
throng to the Russian capital. These professors usually make their 
appearance there a few weeks before Lent, provided with recommen 
dations to the principal dilettanti, get introduced into musical circles, 
where they give proof of their talents, and so win patronage prepa- 
ratory to their public performances. The saloons of Counts Wil- 
horsky and Lwoff afford them abundant opportunities for this, and a 
musician of real talent may be sure by this means of obtaining at 
St. Petersburg due appreciation and success. 

Mere ordinary success, however, is no success at all in the Rus- 
sian capital. The delicate consideratenoss of the more distinguished 
portion of the public, leads them to applaud even mediocrity, which, 
however, is again forgotten before they visit the next concert. But 
to obtain a real success, to cause a sensation, is difficult in St. 

Sontag was again enchanting the public. Let Germany be proud of its 
daughter. — Note by the German Editor. 



112 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

Petersburg, and only to be achieved by talent of the very first order, 
The Countess Rossi had a triumph of this kind, but we cannot "esti- 
mate her success by the usual scale applied to professional perform- 
ers ; the circle in which she moved separated her from that class, and 
it would have been difficult for the keenest observer to determine 
the exact degree of influence which the Countess exercised upon the 
singer. Presently another musical celebrity appeared at the horizon. 
In January, 1842, the cry, " He comes !" suddenly resounded 
through St. Petersburg. Nobody asked, " "Who comes V The 
pronoun was sufficiently significant ; all knew whom to expect. 
The whole city waited in excited anticipation. The mode of recep- 
tion had its difficulties. Should the whole of the musicians in St. 
Petersburg go out in a body to meet him ? This was the first idea. 
But would not the Dorpat University oppose this ? He was a gradu- 
ate. And would not the army put in its claim ? For the hero of 
the piano was also a man of the sword ; and had received a sabre 
of honour as a gift from his countrymen, the Magyars, and had 
pledged himself, when returning thanks for it, to draw, in the day of 
need, for the freedom of Hungary. Finally, the youth of St. Peters- 
burg would not be behindhand with that of Berlin, and 2000 young 
men volunteered to form relays and draw his carriage from Narva 
to the capital. Count Wilhorsky sent a courier to meet him, and 
to offer him quarters at his hotel, but the virtuoso declined, depre- 
cated any ceremonious reception, and excused himself by declaring 
his addiction to seclusion and to the society of the Muse. An ex- 
press came to engage apartments for him at the Hotel Coulon ; for 
three whole days the streets leading to it were blocked up by the 
concourse of people. At last the sound of a post-horn was heard ; 
its melodious notes were surely blown by the postilion who drove 
Liszt. The four horses rattled round the corner of the Newsky, 
and were pulled up in front of the Hotel Coulon. A servant sprang 
from the box and pulled down the steps ; a young man stepped, 
smiling, out of the carriage ; his fur cloak concealed his features, but 
the long hair that waved over his shoulders, and the long fingers 
that protruded from his sleeves, betrayed his identity. " It is he !" 
was the cry that resounded through the streets, along the Newsky 
to the Morskoy, and as far as the Admiralty. Aristocratic equip- 



CONCERTS. 113 

ages come rolling up, the fashionable world begins to crowd the 
antechamber, but speedily again evacuate it with long faces, and 
disappointed mien. It was not the great man ; it was only Signor 
Pantaleone, Liszt's good secretary and bad singer, who had come 
on in front, as quartermaster, to take up the apartments and play 
St. Petersburg a little trick. The modest artist made his quiet en- 
trance after midnight in another carriage and four, attended by his 
agent, valet-de-chambre, servant, and chasseur. 

The day of days arrived. Liszt gave his first concert at the 
Nobles' Club. The Emperor, the whole Court, the highest nobility, 
all the artistical notabilities of the capital, a select circle of ladies, 
adorned the room, every nook and corner of which was crowded. 
The receipts amounted to 20,000 rubles banco, and the delight and 
applause were equivalent to twenty times as much. Liszt passes 
for a genius, and, by all the Muses ! a genius he is ; but the great 
public cannot appreciate him at his full value, which is not ascer- 
tainable at the price of a ticket. To know what Liszt's genius really 
is, to appreciate it in its full and true extent, one must have the op- 
portunity I have enjoyed of hearing him without seeming to listen 
— sitting in a sofa-corner in his room, helping one's self out of his 
travelling cigar store, and turning over the leaves of a newspaper, 
whilst Liszt, heedless of the barbarian who can read the " Debats " 
whilst he plays, gives himself up to his inspirations, plays without 
affectation or coquetry, plunges into an ocean of sounds expressive 
of every gradation of the passions, and seems alternately to soar 
upon celestial wings, and to descend into the depths of an inferno. 
Then is Liszt magnificent, then is he sublime — then is he equal 
to his reputation. But before the public ! no ! then his better self 
struggles against his bad habits — conquering, but not completely 
mastering them. Would that Liszt could follow the advice which 
Herder somewhere gives to actors, — " to forget that they are before 
the public." Could Liszt attain to this degree of self-control, the 
public would recognise his genius as I recognised it, and their ad 
miration would be immeasurably purer and more profound. 

Liszt gave at least a dozen concerts during his stay at St. 
Petersburg ; the enthusiasm was always the same, and his receipts 
were enormous ; only the smaller portion of these, however, remain- 



114 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

ed in his purse ; with princely generosity, he loaded his friends and 
countrymen with presents of money and money's worth ; his liber- 
ality and munificence were proverbial, and served not a little to 
heighten his fame. True it is that he is generous to an excess ; but 
— truth before all things ! — Liszt certainly throws away his money 
by handfuls, but (without disparagement to his generosity) he throws 
it, in preference, where it is likely to jingle. To do good by stealth 
is less in his way. 

Covered with laurels, the great pianist left St. Petersburg. His 
name and fame would have remained indelibly impressed on the 
minds of the living generation — if he had never returned thither. 
Better had it been for his reputation had he played a sonata of Bee- 
thoven's the less, and applied the time thus economised to the peru- 
sal of an old German comedy. Amongst much rubbish, such old 
plays sometimes contain valuable truths. One of these is spoken 
by the gipsy beldam in JPreziosa, when she says, — 

" Wird man wo gut aufgenommen 
Soil man ja nicht wiederkommen."* 

The proverb holds good all the world over, but nowhere so much 
so as in St. Petersburg. That capital is a perfect shark in the mat- 
ter of devouring reputations. Its applause resembles its seasons ; 
in a single night one passes from summer's ardent heat to winter's 
icy cold, and a snow shroud covers the meadows which yesterday 
bloomed in the sunbeams. The Russian lives fast, and as he uses 
his life quickly, so he uses all things quickly which cheer and em- 
bellish existence. 

A year after his first visit, Liszt returned to St. Petersburg. His 
genius had been true to him in the interval; his artistic skill was, 
if anything, still more perfect than the year before ; in no respect 
had he fallen off, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, the public 
cared not for him. Ce rCetait qu'un artiste de plus. 

* " When once one has been well received in a place, it is wise not to return 
thither." 



CONSPIRACIES. 115 

CHAPTER XVni. 

CONSPIRACIES. 

WHEN concerts end, the season is also ended, for Lent has set 
in. It is usually at about this period that the boom of can- 
non from the fortress announces the breaking up of the Neva. Ice 
and furs disappear together, and summer begins. The thaw of the 
Neva is attended by a ceremony, whose hero is the governor of the 
fortress. The first boat that traverses the liberated stream bears him 
from the city to the Winter Palace, where he presents a goblet of 
Neva water to the Emperor. The Emperor drinks, has the goblet 
emptied, and returns it, full to the brim with gold pieces, to the gov- 
ernor. This was for years the custom ; but it was found that every 
year the goblet grew larger. At last the Emperor, reckoning that 
in this manner his treasury would be exhausted before the Neva was, 
fixed a maximum sum as the contents of the goblet, without refer- 
ence to its capacity. The amount is still sufficient to be gratifying 
to the governor, who re-embarks and returns well pleased to his for- 
tress. 

Besides its fortifications, the citadel has three things worthy of 
examination. The first of these is the burial vault of the Czars, in 
the church of the fortress, where great stone monuments indicate 
the spots beneath which, deep in the earth, repose the mortal remains 
of the autocrats of all the Russias. The tombs have green velvet 
covers, trimmed with ermine, and having embroidered upon them, 
in gold, the names of the deceased. The two other remarkable 
things can be seen only on the outside. With one of them melan- 
choly associations are connected ; it is the casemate in which the 
state prisoners are confined : the other awakens less painful ideas ; 
it is the vaults containing the state treasure. 

In these vast cellars are deposited, in gold and silver bars, the 
full value of all the state paper current in the empire. A provision 
which renders completely idle any hope that might be entertained 
of stirring up a revolution in Russia by means of a national bank- 
ruptcy. 

The notions entertained in Germany with respect to impending 



116 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

disturbances in Russia, and of revolutions that may daily be expected 
to break out there, cannot but appear ridiculous to those who have had 
opportunities of becoming acquainted with the country. The most 
powerful lever and support of modern revolutions, a state of public 
opinion dangerous to the existing government, is there totally want- 
ing, for in Russia the public feeling is anything but revolutionary. 
The great mass of the nation is religious and moral. There exisfe 
not two greater extinguishers of every revolutionary element. In 
Russia only two sorts of conspiracies are possible, palace conspiracies, 
and military insurrections. A revolution, in the German sense of 
the word, could be accomplished only by favour and under cover of 
one of these two disturbing powers. History furnishes us with ex- 
amples of the former kind ; the latter we have witnessed in our own 
times. 

There was certainly some ground for alarm in the temper of the 
great masses of the population of St. Petersburg in the year 1831, 
but it was not of a political character. The cholera, breaking out 
with violence, had swept away its victims with startling rapidity, and 
absurd rumours of poisonings — rumours whose terrible effect, even 
upon the far more enlightened French people, I myself have had 
opportunities of observing — misled the populace of St. Petersburg, 
and hurried them into dangerous excesses. Firmly impressed with 
the conviction that the physicians procured the death of the sick, 
an excited mob one morning stormed a cholera hospital on the 
Haymarket, hunted down the physicians, and precipitated one of 
them from a third floor window upon the payement. That was the 
signal for a general insurrection ; the immense Haymarket was soon 
crowded with a dense throng, from which issued murmurs as mena- 
cing as the roll of distant thunder. A heavy and threatening cloud 
seemed to hang over the anxious city. Suddenly the Emperor ap- 
peared, fresh from Moscow, whither he had been on account of the 
cholera. Seated in an open caleche, with only Count Orloff at his 
side, he drove into the square. Soon the advance of the horses was 
impeded, and the shouting and tumultuous mob pressed round the 
carriage. In vain did the Emperor endeavour to appease those near- 
est to him ; every minute the tumult increased, and already threat- 
ening words were accompanied by threatening gestures. The Em- 



conspiba cms. 1 1 7 

peror rose to his feet, and, exerting his utmost power of voice, com- 
manded silence from the riotous mob, over whose heads he towered, 
like some angry demigod, flashing amongst them the lightnings of 
his eye, and, by his imposing presence and tone, stilling the uproar 
and obtaining a hearing. " Wretches !" he exclaimed, " is this the 
reward of all my toil and care for your welfare, this your gratitude 
for the vigils and labours by which I have striven to make men 
of you? Is this the gratitude you show me, when my anxiety on 
your behalf has again brought me amongst you ? Have I not cares 
enough upon my head, that, with childish thanklessness, you thus 
add to my burthen ? In insurgent Poland civil war mows down 
our brethren ; in the heart of the kingdom pestilence carries them 
off in numbers ; and here, where it already begins to seize its vic- 
tims, you annihilate the means of your salvation, and sin against 
your fellow-citizens and against the authorities that God has set over 
you !" As he spoke, the church clocks commenced tolling. " Hear 
the call to prayers !" continued the Czar in inspired tones, " the Al- 
mighty looks down upon you ! implore his pardon for your madness ! 
On your knees! wretched people; on your knees!" And 10,000 
raging barbarians fell upon their knees, crossed themselves, and 
peaceably separated. 

This is only one of a hundred proofs of the Emperor's great 
personal courage. One of the most striking occurred immediately 
after his accession to the throne. 

The revolution of 1825 is universally known ; the judicial pro- 
ceedings it gave rise to were printed both in Russia and in Germa- 
ny ; nevertheless, some of its details will be new to many in the 
latter country. 

A widely-spread conspiracy had extended itself, like a network, 
over the whole of Russia. Well knowing that, without the co- 
operation of the army, a revolution was impossible, the conspirators 
watched a favourable opportunity of winning it over, and had fixed 
their revolt to take place at the death of the Emperor Alexander. 
Alexander, a man in the prime of life, and apparently in perfect 
health, seemed likely to live long enough to give them ample time 
for preparation, when suddenly they were startled by his unexpected 
death, which threatened to render all their plans abortive. The cir- 



] 18 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

cumstances I have here mentioned, are the most conclusive refuta- 
tion of the silly rumour that was spread of Alexander having been 
murdered at Taganrog. Had his death been the work of those con- 
spirators, they would assuredly have chosen their time better. 

Instead of this, the Emperor's demise astonished and discon- 
certed the plotters. Those of their number who were in St. Peters- 
burg when it occurred, found themselves in the greatest perplexity ; 
to break into open revolt, unprepared as they were, was too great a 
risk. But it was scarcely less dangerous to allow Constantine time 
to consolidate his power. Of the two evils they chose that which 
seemed the least ; they resolved to temporize, and to await a favour- 
able pretext for insurrection ; a pretext which they doubted not that 
the wild choleric character of the new Czar would ere long afford 
them. Meanwhile they would accelerate with redoubled zeal their 
preparations for the insurrection. But a great surprise was in re- 
serve for them. Suddenly there arrived at St. Petersburg a courier 
from Warsaw, bringing the new Emperor's abdication. The Vice- 
roy of Poland, Grand-duke Constantine — to whom his younger bro- 
ther Nicholas had sworn allegiance in St. Petersburg, and had re- 
ceived for him the oaths of the army and the people — wrote to ten- 
der his allegiance to his junior, informing him that he had already 
received for him the oaths of the troops in Warsaw, and referred 
him to an act in the archives of the senate, which contained his 
renunciation of the crown, made with the assent of the Emperor 
Alexander. 

This unlooked-for event was the spark to the powder-barrel. 
The character of Nicholas had been evident even in his youth ; 
from him no hasty or imprudent act, such as might seem to justify 
rebellion, was to be expected ; from him there was no hope of 
wrenching the reins of government if once he got them firmly in 
his grasp. What then was to be done must therefore be done at 
once, or at once abandoned. In all haste the troops of the garrison 
were tampered with ; an appeal was made to their fidelity to the 
hereditary Czar, to whom they had already sworn allegiance ; the 
Emperor Constantine was represented to them as pining in chains 
in a dungeon at Warsaw ; Nicholas was depicted as a usurper, 
striding to the throne over the bod}'' of his brother and rightful 



conspiba cms. 1 1 9 

sovereign. In order, at the same time, to animate and sustain the 
democratic flame which the conspirators had striven to kindle in the 
minds of the people, the watchword given to the troops was, Vivat 
Constantine ! Vivat Constitutio ! This puzzled the simple warriors 
of Russia, and they innocently asked who this Constitutio was, for 
whom they were to rise. The reply, worthy of the conspirators, 
was, TheWife of Constantine ! This satisfied the deluded soldiers, 
who forthwith turned out in marching order, loaded their muskets 
with ball cartridge, and proceeded, in interminable columns, to the 
Isaac Square, heartily shouting — in the full conviction that they 
were faithfully doing their duty — Vivat Constitutio ! 

Whilst this occurred, the new Emperor was sitting, unsuspicious 
of evil, in the midst of his family circle, when suddenly Milorado- 
witsch, pale as death, burst into the apartment. 

" Treason ! Sire !" he exclaimed. " A military conspiracy ! The 
whole garrison is under arms!" 

The Empress gave a convulsive start, and could not utter a word. 
For a moment Nicholas himself sat silent ; then the Emperor rose 
calm and self-possessed to his feet, and his throne was saved. The 
boudoir of the Empress was rapidly filling with aide-de- camps. 

" To my brother Michael !" said the Emperor to one of them 
" To the Preobrescenzky barracks," he added to another, " to see if 
the guards of Peter the Great will uphold his throne." 

The aide-de-camps flew in every direction. The Czar stepped 
quietly to the Empress, who seemed petrified ; silently embracing 
her, he took the heir to the crown from her lap, and carried him 
down stairs into the courtyard of the Winter Palace. The guard 
was drawn up under arms. With his son in his arms, the Emperor 
walked up to them. 

" Soldiers !" he cried, " a horde of impious men are guilty of 
mutiny and rebellion. If you are of them, fire ! murder me and the 
heir to the throne ; we are in your power !" 

A tremendous "Long live the Czar!" was the reply of the 
veterans. 

" Well then," said Nicholas, throwing the boy tv. them, " Pro- 
tect the Naslednik ! Let him be your emperor, if I fall !" 

And with the word, he sprang upon his horse ant 1 gallopped, 



120 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

followed by Miloradowitsch and a few aide-de-camps, across the 
Admiralty Square to meet the insurgent soldiery. 

The tumult was terrible. The rebels had taken up a position 
in front of the Senate House, between the Isaac's Church and the 
English Quay. From all sides reinforcements of misguided troops 
flocked to join them. The square was thronged with people ; in the 
midst of them, on horseback, sat the intrepid young Emperor, with 
a few trusty adherents. Suddenly an officer gallopped out from 
amongst the insurgents, his right hand thrust into the breast of his 
uniform ; the Emperor's suite pressed round their sovereign. Nicholas 
rode quietly to meet the officer, and when at sword's length from 
him, " What do you bring me ?" he said. The officer met the Em- 
peror's steady gaze; his hand moved under his uniform; for an in- 
stant he hesitated ; then, without replying a word, without saluting, 
he hurriedly wheeled his horse and gallopped back to his friends. 
" He looked me in the face !" he cried, " and I could not kill him !" 

Meanwhile the soldiers, of all arms, who had remained faithful, 
assemble round the Emperor. Their numbers rapidly increase. The 
insurgents range themselves in order of battle, but dare not attack. 
Suddenly, out of the great Morskoje, debouches, on foot, in double 
quick time, his drawn sword gleaming in his hand, the Grand- duke 
Michael ; behind him, at the same hurried pace, the iron grenadier 
column of the Preobrescenzky guards, which he has been to fetch 
at their barracks. Then, at full speed, up comes a battery of horse 
artillery, and stations itself by the side of the chivalrous Emperor. 
Nicholas sends an aide-de-camp to the Winter Palace with the mes- 
sage that he is " still alive," and then parleys commence. These 
naturally led to nothing, for all that the insurgents desired was to 
gain time, and to avoid anything decisive until night came on, under 
cover of which they expected to spread disorder through the whole 
city. Skirmishing began : on both sides a few victims fell. It was 
a dull December day ; the time was three in the afternoon, and mist 
and darkness began already to cover the capital. In vain did those 
around the Emperor implore him to order an attack ; in vain did 
the Grand-duke Michael represent to him that, when darkness once 
set in, a regular conflict would be impossible, and that murder and 
incendiarism would reign throughout the city. The Emperor still 



CONSPIRACIES. 121 

hesitated. " I will spare the blood of my people," he said, " for if 
once a cannon is fired, they must fall to the last man." With 
lighted fuses the gunners stood beside their pieces ; the infantry had 
their muskets cocked, the cavalry their sabres drawn ; the silence of 
death reigned amongst the little troop, every eye was fixed upon 
the Emperor, who had stationed himself to the front, environed by 
his staff, right opposite to the foe. Suddenly, in the foremost rank, 
a general fell from his horse, mortally wounded. "Is it the Em- 
peror ?" resounded through the ranks. No ! it was the noble Milo- 
radowitsch, who had met, close by his sovereign's side, the glorious 
death of loyalty and self-devotion. Then a young lieutenant of ar- 
tillery snatched the burning fuse from a gunner's hand, applied it 
to the touch-hole of a cannon, and the piece vomited its destructive 
contents into the ranks of the rebels. Was the shot fired by com- 
mand, or on the mere impulse of the young officer? In the con- 
fusion of the time that point was never cleared up. Enough, that 
a truly patriotic heart guided the hand which fired that gun — the 
signal of decisive action. Its report was followed by that of the 
whole battery ; the Emperor commanded a charge ; it was general ; 
there was still enough daylight to distinguish friend from foe, when 
the routed insurgents, throwing away their arms, fled down the 
quay, and across the frozen Neva, which protected them from the 
pursuit of the cavalry. On they ran towards Wasili-Ostrow, pursued 
by the roar of the artillery. 

In hundreds were the rebels captured ; in hundreds did their 
bodies strew the scene of action and the ice of the Neva. The 
throne was saved ; the conspiracy, which aimed at nothing less than 
the extermination of the family of Romanoff, and the republicanizing 
of Russia — of Russia, I say — was crushed by one bold blow. The 
Emperor threw himself on the body of Miloradowitsch, in deep 
grief at his loss. Then, after closing his faithful follower's eyes, he 
returned to the Winter Palace, where the still-trembling Empress 
met him at the entrance of her apartments. Silently he pressed 
her to his breast ; then gazing mournfully at her, with pallid coun- 
tenance and half-suppressed voice, "And thus," he said, "commences 
our reign!" 

" Yes, it was a bloody commencement, and blood stained the 



122 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

first footsteps of the noblest prince, the plainest citizen, the tenderest 
father, who ever was qualified, by his exalted virtues, his firmness 
of character, and his comprehensive mind, to occupy, with honour 
to himself, and benefit to his people, the lofty station to which 
Providence had called him. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 



DURING a short stay at Peterhof, I saw the whole of the im- 
perial family. They had just returned from a drive. The 
crown prince drove his wife in a carriage and pair, and the Prince 
of Leutchtenberg sat behind them. My attention was particularly 
attracted to the princess ; for this was the first time I had seen 
her since her marriage. As the prince's destined brided, I had 
seen her during his stay at Darmstadt. At that time she was ex- 
tremely young, and was rather to be called thin than slender ; she 
was pale, and had a suffering, sickly appearance. Now she was 
full in person, blooming, and really a very fine woman. To see her 
and her sister-in-law, the Princess of Leutchenberg, also a lovely 
young woman, by the side of the empress, in whose imposing bear- 
ing and appearance there seems personified the idea of imperial 
greatness, one could not help thinking that the consciousness of 
such exalted station had an actual influence on the external aspect 
of the persons occupying it. Nature, who has been bountiful to 
the princess in respect of personal attractions, has also, it is said, 
richly endowed her mind. People say that she is both sensible and 
witty, and tell numerous pleasing anecdotes in support of the asser- 
tion. Thus it is related that once, at a game of forfeits, in hopes 
of embarrassing her, she was ordered to give a bouquet and a kiss 
to the person, there present, whom she best loved. Without hesi- 
tation she approached the Emperor, bent her knee, and offered him 
the flowers. 

" In the presence of an Emperor," she said, " and of such an 
Emperor, love and admiration can take but one direction !" 



THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 123 

The Emperor lifted her up, kissed her forehead, and said, with 
that smile which so well becomes him : " You are my good, and 
prudent child." 

Before her marriage she is said to have been very shy, and to 
have appeared unembarrassed only with Count Orloff, whom she 
had known at Darmstadt, whithei he had accompanied the 
Prince. Orloff, emboldened by this, sometimes permitted himself 
little jests with her ; and, amongst others, he is reported to have 
asked her, the day after her marriage, " Si die tprouvait tout le 
changement de sa condition P to which she, drawing herself up with 
dignity, replied : " Undoubtedly, Sir ! Yesterday I was a young 
girl of little importance, and to-day I am the future Empress of all 
the Russias I" How far this anecdote is true, I cannot decide ; but 
if I am inclined to doubt that the Count would have ventured so 
familiar a question, on the other hand I have no doubt, from all I 
have hea/d of her, that the Princess has abundant energy and digni- 
ty to make the reply attributed to her. 

I rambled all over Peterhof and its delightful grounds, which 
had their origin in the Emperor's excellent taste, and in his affection 
for his family. First I visited Zarizin-Ostrow (The Empress's Isl- 
and), where I saw long walks draped with thick ivy. This ever- 
green plant, which is unable to brave the severity of a northern 
winter, here flourishes the year round ; for when the severe season 
sets in, these walks are covered with glass, and heated like conserv- 
atories. Next, I repaired to " Palermo" and to " Kreut," charming 
summer-houses, built and thus named in grateful remembrance of 
the places where the Empress regained her health. Then I went to 
" Chalais," opposite to which, on a little hillock, hard by the fish- 
pond, stands an arbour of cast-iron, with a light roof, beneath 
which stands a bronze bust of the Empress, of striking resemblance, 
the inscription beneath which, " To the Happiness of my Life," is 
in the Russian language—probably because the Emperor had here 
greater confidence in the intelligence of his subjects than in that of 
strangers. But not only in stone and in iron is the Emperor's ten- 
der affection for his wife recorded. In " Selski-Domik" (rustic cot- 
tage) they showed me the coat of the veteran who had undertaken 
the care of this little house ; the left sleeve bore the tokens of more 



124 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

than twenty years' service, and a medal indicated that he had 
shared in the campaigns against the Turks in 1828-29. But the 
man's wish to pass the rest of his days there was not to be fulfilled: 
The Empress drove up, and the veteran received her to conduct her 
into her house. He lifted her out of the carriage and bowed him- 
self to kiss the hem of her robe. When he again stood erect, the 
illustrious lady sank, deeply moved, upon his breast, and repaid the 
chivalrous service with a tender kiss. " It is yet too soon," she 
said, with tearful eyes, " for you to devote yourself to my service 
alone ; our country has not yet pensioned you ofi^ and has still need 
of your services."* 

This expression was but a repetition of the Emperor's own defi- 
nition of his social position. He considers himself as the first 
servant of the State, and likes to make those around him observe 
this. If a party of pleasure be proposed, he " will join it if duty 
permits." To a favoured, but weary, official, who asked to retire 
on a pension, he replied, " So long as I serve, you, also, I hope will 
not refuse your services to your country." The days he passes in 
his country palace at Peterhof are his time of relaxation from this 
" duty" or " service." Every hour of them is spent in the bosom 
of his family. Invested with crown and sceptre, he inspires respect 
and admiration ; — behold him in his domestic circle, and one can- 
not help loving him. There is something elevating in his joy at 
the growth and development of his children and grandchildren. 
Equally touching is his melanchoy remembrance of those too early 
snatched away. As an example of this, we need but repair to the 
palace of Sarskoje-Selo, and enter the apartments of the deceased 
Grand-duchess Alexandra. The chamber in which she sank into 
the sleep that shall know no earthly waking, is still in precisely the 
same state as at that sad moment : no hand is suffered to profane 

* Mr. Jermann is not always very lucid in his mode of expression, and 
there is vagueness and obscurity in the preceding passage. I have not been 
able to satisfy myself whether the veteran here referred to is, or is not, intend- 
ed to be the Emperor Nicholas himself. The distinction and tenderness of the 
caress bestowed by the Empress in some degree favonr the supposition, which 
the verbal construction of the passage does not in all respects confirm. The 
translation being here strictly literal, the reader can judge for himself of the 
meaning intended to be conveyed. — T. 



THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 125 

by its touch any object that belonged to her. The next room has 
been consecrated as a chapel of the Greek Church, and in it is 
placed her portrait, painted in oils by Brullow, and adorned with a 
little imperial crown and an ermine mantle. The sweet and youth- 
ful countenance is turned heavenwards, with a more fervent expres- 
sion than may be customary at that early and joyous period of life, 
but which is rendered natural and appropriate by the consciousness 
of approaching dissolution. Below the sufferer is seen an angel, 
whose lovely face wears a sublime and saddened look. He seems 
on the point of bearing his beautiful burthen to heaven. 

The Grand-duchess is buried in the imperial vault of the Ro- 
manoffs, in he citadel-church of St. Peter and St. Paul. In a se- 
cluded spot of the palace-garden paternal love has erected a touch 
ing tribute to her memory. As a young girl, she loved to sit for 
hours on the bank of the ornamental water, beside a birchen sum- 
mer-house, and to feed six beautiful white swans. Hard by this 
hut has been built a simple niche, in which stands her statue in 
marble, the size of life, bearing in its arms her infant, which perish- 
ed almost as soon as born. The pedestal of the statue is covered 
with appropriate passages of Scripture. After her death, the white 
swans were conveyed to another piece of water, and six black ones 
took their place. But the original occupants would not be thus 
driven away. As often as it was tried to settle them in another 
place, so often did they return, in the very first night, to the favour- 
ite resort of their departed mistress. In the little summer-house 
hangs a portrait of the lamented princess, and beneath it is inscrib- 
ed a sentence which in her lifetime was frequently upon her lips ; 
"I well know, dear father, that you have no greater pleasure than 
to render my mother happy." May this testimony, thus borne by 
the dead, be a living guarantee for the heart of the man, the 
necessary severity of whose arduous " duty " has so often caused 
him to be misrepresented by prejudice and party hatred as unfeel- 
ing and cruel. May it be taken in conjunction with that of an 
humble observer, who has often seen the Emperor of all the Rus- 
sias escape at early morn from the pressure of many affairs, and 
repair to the silent spot where mournful memories abound, there to 
kneel before the likeness of his beloved daughter, and to supplicate 



126 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

the Most High for strength and courage ; and then, in placid re- 
signation, to seat himself upon the grass, where his child had often 
sat for hours together — and there, as she was wont to do, to feed 
the swans she so dearly loved. 

The heart of a despotic sovereign must not be read in bulletins, 
or in sentences of banishment and death, where often only speaks 
the imperious voice of stern necessity and duty. The heart of an 
autocrat should be judged of in his family circle ; there is the 
character of Nicholas to be appreciated in its most genial and 
amiable point of view. 

At Peterhof I often met the Emperor walking alone in the park 
and gardens. There he puts himself at his ease ; lays aside sword, 
uniform, and epaulets, and rambles about in a surtout and forage- 
cap. But in his capital, where he is " on duty," he never appears 
otherwise than in uniform ; even in the coldest weather he wears 
only a cloth cloak, like any other officer. I never saw him in a fur 
coat, nor do I believe that he has one. In the metropolis his ap- 
pearance is quite unassuming ; he walks about the Newsky unat- 
tended, and his presence is only to be noticed by the joyful 
movement of the crowd. None are allowed to address him; and 
although it were most agreeable to him if he could with propriety 
be left unnoticed, yet he exacts due respect from those by whom he 
knows that he is recognised. He once stopped opposite to two 
young men belonging to one of the imperial schools, who were 
staring him in the face, and asked why they did not salute him. 
One of them maintained a terrified silence ; the other plucked up 
courage, and replied, " We do not know you ! " 

" No matter," replied the Emperor ; " you see that I wear a 
general's uniform. Go, both of you, to the Winter Palace, and 
report yourselves to the guard as under arrest. There you will 
find out who I am, and will know it for the future." 

With throbbing hearts the young men obeyed orders, and 
augured little good from the unfriendly reception of the officer on 
guard. The guard had their dinner ; nobody heeded the prisoners 
Several hours passed, still they were kept fasting. They had just 
received a harsh refusal to their humble petition to be allowed to 
send out for a loaf, when one of the imperial servants entered with 



THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 127 

a dinner from the Emperor's table, and a bottle of champagne. For 
that day, he told them, they were the guests of the Emperor, who 
requested them to drink his health, and not to forget in future to 
salute when they met him, as he could not afford to invite them to 
dinner every day. 

On another occasion the Emperor met Vernet, the favourite actor 
at the French theatre, in the street, and stopped to speak to him. 
A group of persons quickly formed itself, and no sooner had the 
Emperor walked on again than the police — of whose customarily 
literal interpretation of the laws I have had already occasion to give 
examples when mentioning the thaw of the Neva and the burning 
of Lehmann's theatre — came up and took Vernet to the nearest 
guardhouse for having spoken to the Emperor. Vernet needed but 
to write a line to the director of the theatre to clear up the mistake, 
and obtain his release ; but he delaying doing this, missed his re- 
hearsal, and waited till the evening's performance began before he 
informed General Gedeonoff of his mishap. Of course a carriage 
was immediately sent to fetch him to the theatre, where he was to 
perform in the second piece. On his arrival there the General bit- 
terly reproached him for having carried the joke so far, for having 
missed a rehearsal, and probably caused a delay in the performance ; 
he informed him at the same time that he was fined a week's salary. 

Vernet said nothing, but began very deliberately to dress. 
When it was time for the second piece to begin, Vernet was not 
ready. The Imperial family were amongst the spectators ; the pub- 
lic grew restless. Vernet was not yet dressed. The manager went 
to hurry him ; Vernet, seemingly absorbed in thought, merely re- 
plied, with perfect coolness, " That costs me three hundred francs !" 
Next came the government inspector, and urged him to haste. 
" Three hundred francs !" was the sole reply he obtained. Finally, 
General Gedeonoff himself came to hurry the tardy actor, overwhelmed 
him with reproaches, entreated, swore, stamped with his feet, cursed 
in all sorts of languages. Vernet would not be put out of his way, 
but continued quietly to lay on his rouge, stepped back a pace to 
study the effect, then returned to the glass and touched up the 
paint, looking all the while straight before him. Ready at last, he 
hurried past the General to the door of his dressing-room ; there, 



128 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

turning suddenly round, " Excellency," said he, " do you know that 
costs me three hundred francs ?" 

"When Vernet stepped upon the stage, he was received with 
murmurs. But he was not the man to be disconcerted by them, 
and he acted with more spirit and humour than ever. The Emperor 
laughed immoderately, and, knowing nothing of what had oc- 
curred — that having been carefully concealed from him — he wished 
to console his favourite for his bad reception, went behind the 
scenes between the acts, spoke to him in the most friendly manner, 
and asked him if he could not do him a pleasure in return for all the 
amusement he had afforded him. " Sire," replied the actor, " the 
greatest favour you can do me is never to accost me again in the 
street." The Emperor looked astonished ; GedeonofF changed colour. 
Vernet proceeded to relate, in humorous strain, his adventure with 
the police, and concluded by pointing to the General, and saying, 
" Sire, to complete my misfortune, I am fined three hundred francs." 
The Emperor, convulsed with laughter, hurried back to his box to 
tell the story to the Empress, and next day Vernet received the re- 
ceipt for the fine, paid out of the imperial purse, and, in his Majesty's 
name, a costly diamond ring as dommo.ges interets. 

On my way back from Peterhof, I met the whole Imperial 
family together, rambling in the shady walks of the park. The 
Emperor was walking arm in arm with the Archduke Michael, who 
has since then been prematurely snatched away — far too soon for 
the interests of his country and of humanity. The Empress and the 
Duchess of Leuchtenberg were driving in a jaunting car ; all the 
others were on foot. Whenever they met a child, the Archduke 
Michael would stop to pat its cheek, or stroke its head, and look 
kindly at it. This man, whom Providence so sorely tried by the loss 
of his own children, was a great lover of children. To add to their 
places of sport and recreation in damp St. Petersburg, he had a large 
open space in front of his palace enclosed in a handsome iron railing, 
laid down with grass and planted with trees, thus preparing for the 
rising generation a playground and place of assemblage which, after 
the Summer Garden, is the most spacious and the most popular in 
the whole capital. 

Not only in matters of sport, but in the more earnest affairs of 



THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. J 29 

life, was Michael's benevolence extended to youth, even when he 
reproved or punished. Of the amiable character of this prince, 
none can form a clear idea who have not enjoyed the advantage of 
living near him. A good husband, a good father, a thorough sol- 
dier, he was, above all, a kind-hearted man. 

During a short absence of the archduke from St. Petersburg, 
disorders occurred in several of the Imperial schools. The young 
men organised an opposition to their teachers, hissed one of them, 
and got up all manner of tumult and disturbance. General Klein- 
michael, who was at the head of several of these corps or schools, 
treated the thing as insurrection and high treason, took rigorous 
proceedings, sent several of the youths (as the public voice with the 
highest indignation proclaimed) to serve, with closely shorn hair, as 
private soldiers ; sentenced others to clean the streets and break 
stone, and punished the remainder with the like exaggerated severity. 
When the Archduke Michael returned, and the body of Generals 
went to pay their respects to him, he addressed one of them, to 
whom, during his absence, the superintendence of the schools undei 
his charge had been intrusted. u Ha! is it you?" he said, "nice 
stories these I hear ; something about rebellion and conspiracy ! 
have you too had your young culprits' heads shaved, and sent them 
to break stones on the Moscow road ? " 

" Your Imperial Highness ! " replied the worthy General, " I 
looked upon the affair as a childish transgression, and considered 
that for children the rod is the fitting punishment ; I ordered that 
to be applied, and by such means hope to preserve from degradation 
those who are one day to serve the state." 

The Archduke clapped the General on the shoulder — " Bravely 
done, comrade ! " he said, fixing at the same time a steadfast gaze 
on Kleinmichael. " Head-shaving is very well in its place, but one 
must not cut everything on the same pattern." Thereupon he went 
off to his schools and mustered the lads. The paleness of several 
countenances sufficiently pointed out to him the guilty. Passing 
smilingly through the ranks, and threatening them with his finger, 
" Take care! take care !" he said, and left the place without further 
reproof, followed, till far out of hearing, by the hurras and joyous 
acclamations of the whole school. 
6* 



130 P ICTUSES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

With the utmost strictness in matters of duty, the archduke 
combined a most feeling heart. The soldier trembled before him, 
as before a father, whose anger one dreads, but whose love one still 
more fears to lose. A father to the soldiers he truly was, and none 
of their petitions passed by his ear unheard. A thousand generous 
traits are current of him amongst the people. There are few needy 
officers of the garrison who have not stories to relate of his liberality 
and good offices ; from not a few his princely magnanimity and 
munificence have averted a well-merited punishment. Thus was it 
that, late one evening, word was brought to him that an officer 
earnestly begged an audience of His Imperial Highness. The 
Grand Duke was busy, and refused to see him. The officer repeat- 
ed his petition still more urgently, but with no better success. 
" Well," he then said, despairingly, to the aide-de-camp on duty, 
" inform his Imperial Highness that to-morrow I shall be a corpse ; 
I cannot live dishonoured." The aide-de camp, who knew the offi- 
cer personally, pressed for a disclosure of his position, and learned 
that the unhappy man, in an unguarded hour, had gambled away 
a considerable sum of regimental money confided to his charge. 
"Unfortunate man !" exclaimed the aide-de-camp, "you are lost ! I 
see no way to save you !" But he felt sorry for the criminal, who 
was a brave officer, a good comrade, and the father of a numerous 
family. Plucking up courage, he for the third time presented him- 
self before the Grand Duke. 

"Am I to have no peace?" cried Michael, getting angry. 
" What is it now ?" 

" Your Imperial Highness," replied the aide-de-camp, " a man's 
life is at stake, the life of a brave officer, and of the father of a fami- 
ly." And he proceeded to explain the circumstances, representing 
them as favourably as he could, and entreating assistance for the 
defaulter, who otherwise had no resource but suicide, which he had 
resolved upon. 

" He is right," replied the Grand Duke between his set teeth, 
and purple with anger. " You say he is a brave officer ! On that 
account, then, I grant him an hour to send a bullet through his 
head; if he is alive at the end of that time, the provost-marshal 
knows his duty !" 



THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 131 

With long strides the Grand Duke traversed the apartment once 
or twice, and then halted in front of the aide-de-camp. 

" A nice state of things," he cried, " when those nearest to me 
ask compassion for such fellows. A nice example, truly." 

u Your Imperial Highness," replied the aide-de-camp, "he has 
been guilty of a fault, but it is the first in his life. Send him to the 
Caucasus ; there he will wash out the stain with his blood." 

There was a pause.. " What is his name 1" the Grand Duke at 
last inquired. " But no, no," he added, " I will not know it; there, 
take the money ; let him pay it back on the field of battle." 

The St. Petersburg chronicle is also rich in humorous incidents 
and witty sayings attributed to the Grand Duke Michael. He was 
reputed the first bon-mot maker of that capital ; unfortunately, Rus- 
sian witticisms are difficult or impossible to translate. At the first 
levee he held after the festive reception given him in London, there 
were assembled in his saloons not only the whole body of officers, 
but also the chief notabilities in art and science. In brilliant full- 
dress uniform, adorned with stars, orders, and ribands, the crowd of 
generals paraded the apartments ; whilst, in the recess of a bow 
window, Professor Struve, Director of the Observatory at Pulkowa t 
unassumingly waited, attired in a plain black coat. At last the 
doors flew open, and the Grand Duke entered, cordially saluting the 
assemblage. His eye singled out the retiring man in the bow window, 
and calling him, he spoke kindly to him, and said, how, in a far-off 
land, he had heard of his active and laborious researches, and how 
he meant soon to visit him at Pulkowa, where, perched upon his 
observatory, he had the advantage of being some fathoms nearer to 
heaven than other mortals. Struve, surprised and embarrassed by 
this unexpected notice, bowed low, and — assuredly for more confi- 
dent on the pinnacle of his observatory than in the Grand Duke's 
palace — retreated, somewhat awkwardly, from the apartment. 
Scarcely had he disappeared, when he became the butt of all pre- 
sent ; they wondered at the clumsiness of this book- man, who feared 
not to investigate God's handiwork, but who was awkward as any 
clown when he found himself in a distinguished circle. Michael, 
who overheard what was passing, smilingly interrupted the sneers. 
" You must show him indulgence, gentlemen," he said ; " the great 



132 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

astronomer was astounded at seeing so many stars in the wrong 
places? 

No more jokes were ever made at Professor Struve's expense in 
the reception-rooms of the Grand Duke Michael. 

The Grand Duke is said to have been poor, his great income 
hardly sufficing to maintain his establishment properly. He gave 
everything away. It is well known that petitioners, when applying 
to be announced to him, never asked the officers on duty whether 
he was in a favourable mood, or in good or bad humour. Their only 
question was, " Is he in funds ?" If the reply was in the affirmative, 
the supplicant felt sure beforehand of success. 

Such was the Grand Duke Michael, and if there be anything 
else I should add fully to characterise him, it is comprised in the re- 
mark that he, of all the inhabitants of that vast empire, was the 
most faithful subject of his Imperial brother. 



CHAPTER XX. 

JOSEPH IS DEAD, BUT PETER LIVES. 

IT is impossible to take a step in St. Petersburg without being re- 
minded of its great founder ; without trampling, I may say, his 
memory under foot. You tread upon pavement — his work it is that 
you do not sink to the knee in a swamp. You inhabit a safe and 
convenient house : it is he who provided for the foundations. You 
worship God in edifices whose solemn grandeur awakens devotion : 
he it was at whose command arose pillared halls and arched dome. 
You furrow the Neva's waters with your swiftly-gliding skiff : by 
him was the safe and tranquil bed afforded to the riotous torrent. 
More than all this, in St. Petersburg you mingle and converse with 
men : he it was who made men of his Russian barbarians. 

To awaken religious feelings there is no need, in St. Petersburg, 
of cathedral or of church, of processional pomp or sound of bells ; is 
there anything more elevating, anything that more effectually in- 
spires devotion, and proclaims the power of God upon earth, than the 
memory of a truly great man ? Every stone in St. Petersburg re- 



JOSEPH IS DEAD, BUT PETER LIVES. 133 

calls Peter the Great to your remembrance; it is his citadel ; his 
genius is everywhere manifest in his manifold works. Where stands 
the Kasansky, the St. Peter's of the North — that gigantic edifice, that 
monstrous mass of stone — there, but a century and a half ago, was 
a bottomless swamp, into which whole forests were thrown, and dis- 
appeared in its depths. Where now frown the granite battlements 
of the fortress, fishes leaped and gasped, left behind upon the shore 
by the receding stream, after its annual overflow. Where Nicholas, 
aided by steam, now prosecutes his great works upon the Neva, the 
builders of St. Petersburg carried the earth for the ramparts in their 
caps and aprons ; human means seemed all unequal to the gigantic 
undertaking, but the Divine Spirit, speaking through Peter, who 
was its instrument, said, " Let Petersburg he ?" — and Petersburg 
was. 

With the persevering diligence of a bee, the great Czar brought 
one grain of sand after another to the vast undertaking, and rested 
not till the turrets of his capital towered loftily towards the clouds. 
In the year 1714 he published a ukase, rendering it compulsory on 
every nobleman to have a house in St. Petersburg, whether he 
dwelt in it or not : to facilitate building, every large ship that enter- 
ed the harbour was bound to bring with it thirty stones, every small 
one ten, every country waggon ten, and thus, by accumulating 
small things, he attained immense results. Truly Catherine's genius 
could have devised nothing more admirably appropriate than his 
magnificent statue, nor any more beautiful place wherein to set it 
up to the glorification of his fame than that where it stands — in the 
midst of his gigantic creation. His hand is stretched over the city 
as if invoking a blessing upon it, and he gazes straight before him 
upon the waters of that Neva upon which he imposed the burthen 
of his fleet. Beyond it he perceives those beautiful monuments of 
art which embellish Wasili-Ostrow, the noble quays, the Exchange 
with its wonderful colonnades, the sphynxes, the schools, the colleges, 
the custom-house : further to the east the citadel, the Petersburg 
shore, the beautiful bridges: all around him the senate house, the 
holy synod, the Isaac's Church, the Admiralty, the spacious streets, 
the very pavement — all his work, by him founded, carried out by 
his genius, which still lives in his descendants. Yes ! Peter still 



134 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

lives, his spirit still actively toils, as at that day when he personally 
superintended his work, with his own hand laid the foundation stone, 
and restlessly and unceasingly forwarded it to its present brilliant 
results and his own immortal feme. If it be true that man may 
continue to live in his works, then does Czar Peter still live in his 
empire. 

An interesting contrast to this picture is afforded us by an Aus- 
trian legend, which a modern poet has told excellently well. On 
the death of Joseph II., the country's newly awakened hopes of 
better times, its wishes, its dreams of happiness, were all buried in 
the sovereign's grave. Mourning reigned throughout the broad 
plains of Austria, and all gazed sadly at the urn which enclosed the 
ashes of the adored ruler. 

In the remote country districts, and especially in the mountains, 
the people would not be persuaded of the death of their beloved 
emperor. Their gratitude and affection would gladly have held 
him to be immortal. The belief in his existence spread abroad, and 
daily found new partizans. "The Emperor Joseph is still alive," 
said the people, "he has hidden himself somewhere, to watch, for 
awhile, how things go on without him. One of these days he will 
suddenly reappear, resume the government, and all will go on 
quicker and better than before." But one year after another fled 
by, and the Emperor did not show himself; until at last the hope 
of his return gradually died away, and with it the belief of his ex- 
istence. Only a few of the most obstinate could not and would 
not believe that their Emperor Joseph was dead, and strove against 
the naked truth with all the power their heart and imagination 
could supply. 

Thus it was that, on a certain evening, a party of peasants, who 
sat drinking and smoking round the blazing fire of a village tavern 
in Styria, discoursed on their favourite topic. "Say what you 
please," at last exclaimed an old peasant, the mayor of the village, 
" I will stake my existence that Emperor Joseph is still alive, he 
cannot and shall not be dead — and dead he is not." As he spoke, 
a posthorn was heard without. A carriage drove up, and whilst 
the horses were watered, the traveller entered the tavern, seated 
himself by the fire, and chatted with the boors, telling them whence 



JOSEPH IS DEAD, BUT PETER LIVES. 135 

he came, and what he had seen by the way. He had come a far 
journey, had been in Bohemia and Hungary, and now came direct 
from Vienna ; and he told how, throughout the empire, the old 
state of things was returning : how the nobles were relapsing into 
luxury, and the army into insolence ; how the police were again so 
busy, and their spies so sly and cunning, the excise officers so in- 
trusive, the employes of the post so rude and brutal, and the officials 
to whom the censure of books and newspapers was confided, so in- 
describably stupid. Add to this that the priests were again stirring 
and busy, harassing their penitents' consciences and dipping into 
their purses, and making mischief as in former days. " I tell you, 
my good people," said the traveller, after detailing all this, " that 
things have never been as they now are ; we hoped they would 
improve, but they grow daily worse ; we have been allowed to draw 
breath for a moment, only, the next minute, to have the cord drawn 
tighter round our necks, and now we feel the want of air so much 
the more, for having once freely breathed it. No ! believe me they 
are carrying things on worse than ever, and soon it will be beyond 
endurance." 

Up stood the old village mayor, knocked the ashes out of his 
pipe, and paid his reckoning. He seemed quite crest-fallen, pushed 
his cap a little over his left ear, and wished the company a mourn- 
ful good-night. Then turning to his recent opponent in the argu- 
ment, " Well !" he said, " since matters are thus, you may be right ! 
I myself must now believe that Emperor Joseph is dead indeed V 
And with a dejected air he left the tavern. 

Emperor Joseph is dead ! Yes, yes, he is indeed dead ; how, 
otherwise, could all that his breath created, his hand built up, his 
genius animated, have thus sunk into decay, decay so utter that not 
a trace of his fabric is to be found ? Yes, his work has perished ; 
he is indeed dead ! 

But Peter's creation lives and flourishes in the full beauty of 
youth, in all the vigour of manhood, in inexhaustible generative 
power, which, fertilizing the century, produces one great work after 
another. Wherever you look, his genius meets you ; whatever is 
now effected would not have been effected had he not lived, but 's 
a development of his ideas, a carrying out of his projects, a comple- 



136 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

tion of the temple of which he constructed the foundations. In 
that temple does his spirit continue to work for the good and wel- 
fare of his people, until they shall no longer need him. Then shall 
a new world arise over the grave of him who wrought out the pre- 
sent one ; then, and then only, shall Russia in reality consign its 
creator to eternal rest, as Austria, unhappily, only too early interred 
hers. Until that day the history of the world unmistakeably de- 
clares that Joseph is dead! but Peter lives! 



CHAPTER XXI. 

PRINCE GAGARIN. 



RETURNING- one bright spring morning from the Newsky con- 
vent, I drove down the Perspective and was already close to 
the Anitschkow Bridge — which is adorned by those two beautiful 
statues of horses, casts of which embellish the gateway of the palace 
at Berlin — when I heard a shot fired. This was immediately fol- 
lowed by a crowding together of the numerous passengers who at 
that time always enliven the Newsky. I hurried to the bridge, and 
finding it impassable by reason of the throng, I jumped from the 
carriage and made my way on foot through the crush. With great 
difficulty I reached the house next to the bridge, which was a pub- 
lic building of some sort (I do not now exactly remember to what 
branch of the administration it belonged) ; in front of it stood a 
carriage with four horses, and close beside the vehicle, in the arms 
of his servants and some of the passers by, lay the noble and un- 
fortunate Prince Gagarin, pierced by an assassin's bullet. Opposite 
to him stood a man of tall stature, with dark hair, attired in a 
shabby hunting suit. Gendarmes held him, and his fixed gaze was 
riveted upon his victim. A schasneprice, or police officer, held two 
pistols, one of which had been fired, whilst other police officials and 
budschnicks (street guardians), were exerting themselves to keep 
back the crowd, and to protect the murderer from their vengeful 
fury. The whole scene lasted but a moment, but it chilled me with 



PRINCE GAGARIN. ;37 

horror. The next minute the body was carried into the house ; 
cavalry — whether a patrol or not, I do not know — trotted up with 
a close hackney coach, the murderer and two policemen got into it, 
and it drove down the Newsky, escorted by a few Cossacks. The 
remainder of the soldiers remained on guard at the house, and very 
soon cleared the street of the curious throng. 

The event spread alarm throughout the city : Prince Gagarin 
murdered ; — a terribly proud aristocrat, but of the noblest charac- 
ter ; a strictly just man, a faithful subject of the Emperor, the best 
of fathers, and, with all his aristocratic haughtiness, a slave to his 
plighted word. 

Where so many high qualities combine to cover human weak- 
nesses, one may venture to lift the veil from these without risk of 
infringing upon the respect due to virtue, to misfortune, and to death. 

Prince Gagarin was a perfect representative and type of the high- 
est and most potent aristocracy of Russia. Their good and bad qua- 
lities were united in him in their utmost and extreme degree. In 
his high official position he was alike honoured and feared by his 
subordinates. The incorruptibility of his character ; his justice ; his 
generosity, — above all, his love of truth, and his inviolable obser- 
vance of his word, had become proverbial. But towards him reve- 
rence could never expand into love ; for a pride which bordered on 
insanity clouded his mind — otherwise so clear, acute, and cultivated. 

Windischgratz only aped Prince Gagarin when he declared that 
" mankind only commences at the rank of baron." The Austrian's 
silly words were acted up to by the Russian in equally absurd deeds. 
Amongst the numerous high court offices held by Prince Gagarin, 
was that of director-in-chief of the Imperial Theatre ; and he fulfilled 
its duties, as he did all that devolved on him, with credit, and effi- 
ciently. But in spite of the respect which his person and actions 
inspired, the ridiculous features of his conduct could not escape the 
satire of the comedians. It was one of his conceits never to speak 
to an actor ; and the actors, perceiving this, kept out of his way, 
and thus saved both him and themselves from embarrassment. Once, 
however, it happened that, during a performance at the German 
Theatre, a difference arose between the director, Von Helmersen, and 
a singer, named Holland — a difference which it was essential to the 



138 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

interests of that evening's performance at once to reconcile. Hel- 
mersen made a complaint. Between the acts, the Prince sent for 
the singer and took him to task upon the stage in the presence of 
all the other performers. Holland, who is a very well-bred and well- 
informed man, defended himself in a becoming manner. But, when 
he had done speaking, the Prince turned to Helmersen and said, as 
though the other had spoken Chaldee, "Helmersen, what does he 
say ?" And Baron Von Helmersen had to repeat the words of the 
plebeian Mr. Holland, in order to render them intelligible to the 
Prince. This done, the Prince replied, and again received Holland's 
answer through the medium of Baron Von Helmerson, who stood 
between them. But Holland, who thought this rather too strong, 
made a movement whilst the Prince spoke, which brought him into 
the centre place ; and when it again came to him to answer, he 
turned and addressed himself to Helmersen, thus completely turning 
his back upon the Prince. The Prince could not stand this : he 
gave a laconic order, and left the stage. But from that day forward 
his tranquillity was at an end. He was the victim and prey of the 
mischievous dramatic community. The actors had noted his weak- 
nesses, and well knew how to take advantage of them. Daily dis- 
putes arose : the most intimate friends had quarrels (real or feigned), 
which were prosecuted until an appeal to the Prince's decision be- 
came necessary — this being done merely to procure the bystanders 
the diversion of witnessing Von Helmersen exerting his talents as an 
interpreter. At last he would no longer refer anything whatever to 
the Prince, and so their fun was at an end. 

A still more comical anecdote is related of Prince Gagarin, in 
his capacity of chief director of the theatres. In the "Tournament 
at Kronstein," Laufenheim, in order to pass for Starkenburg, has to 
put on the armour of the latter. Laufenheim's armour was black 
— Starkenburg's white. When they came to make the exchange, 
the white helmet proved to be too small, and there was no time to 
fetch another from the store, which was half a league off. So Lau- 
fenheim was told to wear his own helmet. But he thought it ridi- 
culous to appear in a black helmet with white armour, and refused 
to do so. Time passed, the audience got impatient. Helmersen 
argued and expostulated in vain ; and at last, the public dissatisfac- 



PRINCE GAGARIN. 139 

tion becoming violent, he hurried to the Prince, and told him the 
circumstances. Down came the Prince full speed to the wardrobe, 
with Helmersen at his heels ; and when the actor represented to him 
that it was quite ridiculous to expect he should put on a black hel- 
met instead of a white one, the Prince so far forgot himself, in his 
zeal and impatience, that he actually replied to a player, — without 
an interpreter. Seizing the black helmet : " You are right," he said, 
" but this helmet is white. I find it so : look at it well again ; is it 
not white P 

Utterly confounded by this extraordinary assertion, the discon- 
certed and puzzled actor found nothing better to say, than " Cer- 
tainly, if such be your excellency's pleasure, the helmet is white — 
■white as snow." And capping his white armour with the black hel- 
met, he made his entrance, and the comedy proceeded. 

As a contrast to these pettinesses, I will set down an estimable 
and characteristic trait of Prince Gagarin. He had appointed an 
actress's benefit for a certain Wednesday ; but the occurrence of a 
great Court entertainment, fixed for the same day, seemed likely 
greatly to diminish the receipts. At the actress's request he put off 
the benefit for a week. But whilst arrangements were making for 
the performance, it was discovered that the second Wednesday was 
a great holiday. This put the whole committee in awful embar- 
rassment, and the Prince most of all ; for he was pretty sure of get- 
ting blame in high quarters. It was proposed to him to compro- 
mise the matter with the actress, and get her to consent to further 
postponement. The Prince refused. " It cannot be," he said, " It 
cannot be. I have passed my word, and I will stand by it, let what 
may happen ; promises must be kept." And he bore reproach, cen- 
sure, jests, and satirical remarks about favouritism and private mo- 
tives ; he put up with everything, in short, that he might keep his 
word ; and on the solemn festival-day the actress had her benefit in 
a crowded theatre. 

Such was Prince Gagarin, a proud but noble character, univer- 
sally respected throughout the whole empire, revered by thousands, 
hated by none, and who fell by the hand of an assassin. 

Who could the villain be who had perpetrated such a deed, on 
such a man ? 



1 40 PICTURES FR OM ST. PETER SB UR G. 

This was the question that engrossed the attention of all Peters- 
burg — aye, and of half the empire, until judicial investigation solved 
the strange riddle in a manner yet more strange. The murderer 
was not a bad man, did not hate Prince Gagarin, knew him not by 
sight, and was in despair when informed who it was he had slain. 
How, then, came the tragedy about ? From a shocking, but a very 
simple cause. The Prince fell a sacrifice for the sins of Russian 
bureaucracy. 

A forester in the imperial service was dismissed for an acf of in- 
subordination ; whether justly or not, I am unable to say, but his 
fault cannot have been very grave, for, on an appeal made by the 
dismissed man with reference to the facts elicited, the Emperor, al- 
though he would not interfere with the decision of the authorities, 
and consequently maintained the dismissal, ordered a compensation 
of 300 silver rubles to be paid to the petitioner. Who now was 
happier than the forester? He had obtained an appointment on a 
private domain at the other side of Orenburg, and only awaited, to 
enable him to perform the journey, payment of the sum promised 
to him. But that payment came not; one month after another 
passed by, one petition after another was given in, one twenty ruble 
note after another was paid for the drawing up and forwarding of 
these ; still no payment was obtained. 

Meanwhile, the forester's new employers pressed him to repair 
to his post, which was too weighty a one to remain long vacant. 
To this pressure from without was soon added one equally painful 
from within ; — a numerous family cried out for bread. The long 
period passed without employment had unmercifully swallowed up 
the forester's scanty savings ; all that he possessed of any value 
soon disappeared to buy food for the hungry children ; daily did he 
repeat his urgent entreaties, — daily was he referred from one bureau 
to another. At last hope gave way to despair. On that unlucky 
morning he made a last attempt — again in vain. The gentlemen 
in the public offices had their pens to mend before they could write; 
then they had a great deal to write before they could possibly expe- 
dite the affair. The poor petitioner had no longer the means to bribe 
them to expedition ; he returned, heart-broken, to his starving fam- 
ily. As he reached home, the postman brought him a letter from 



PRINCE GAGARIN 141 

Orenburg ; its contents put the finishing stroke to his misfortunes. 
His employers wrote to decline his services ; it having been found 
impossible to do any longer without a forester, they had been com- 
pelled to appoint another to the post. The unhappy man's senses 
nearly left him under this fresh stroke of a cruel fate: the whim- 
pering of his suffering wife, the cries of his hungry children, roused 
him from his stupefaction. Naturally a passionate man, he fell 
into a fit of boundless fury. " They deprived me of my bread," he 
cried, trembling with rage ; " and when the Emperor's goodness has 
given me means to earn a living, the vile sluggards and gluttons, 
who themselves know not want, convert his goodness into a curse. 
I am a lost man, but I will not perish alone. The first of 
the wretches whom I meet shall make the journey with me ! " 
Then he locked himself in his room. In a quarter of an hour he 
rejoined his anxious wife. Seemingly calm, he took leave of her, 
kissed her and their children, and said he was going once more to 
the public office, whither he already had so often been. He spoke 
the truth ; he went thither, but with desperation in his heart, and a 
brace of pistols in his pocket. 

Scarcely had he reached the Anitschkow Bridge, when at a 
signal from a servant a carriage and four drove up. The forester 
quickened his space, and reached the carriage just as the servant 
opened the door. At that moment, as fate had decreed, Prince 
Gagarin came out of the house. As he set his foot on the carriage 
steps, the murderer sent a bullet point blank through his heart. 
Casting away the discharged weapon, the wretched man drew ano- 
ther, and applied the muzzle to his forehead ; but before he could 
pull the trigger the standers-by seized his arm ; without resistance 
he suffered himself to be disarmed, and, himself more resembling 
a corpse than a living being, stood motionless, gazing on the bleed- 
ing body before him. It was just at that moment that I reached 
the scene of action. 

The trial was not long : half an hour after the deed the mur- 
derer made a full and minute confession of all the circumstances I 
have here set down, and adhered to it to the last. He was senten- 
ced to receive two thousand blows with sticks, and to be banished 
for life to Siberia. 



142 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG, 

The feelings first awakened by this event were sorrow for the 
murdered man, horror and indignation at his murderer ; but when 
sympathy and regret for the former had run their course, and the 
particular circumstances became generally known which had driven 
an honest and previously irreproachable man, the father of a family, 
to so terrible and desperate an act — then pity replaced aversion, and 
the curses were for those faithless and corrupt officials who had con- 
verted the Emperor's beneficence into a malediction, and had been 
the indirect cause of such terrible misery. The indignation thus 
roused was goneral ; everybody called to mind the acts of oppres- 
sion and wrong that all had more or less had to endure by reason 
of the shameful mal-administration of the departments of justice 
and police ; soon the murderer came to be not less pitied than the 
murdered, and the public feeling might be summed up thus : 
"'Tis sad, indeed," men said, "that such a thing should have hap- 
pened, and sadder still that an innocent man should have been the 
victim ; but it will be a lessen to the bureaucracy ; God only grant 
that they profit by it." 

Meanwhile, the day of punishment arrived. On a severe win- 
ter's morning the unhappy criminal was conducted to the place of 
execution; the surgeon grasped his hand, and led him along the 
agonising path between the double rank of soldiers armed with 
rods. 

On the previous day the Grand Duke Michael, who had been 
absent, returned to St. Petersburg. He heard of the approaching 
execution, and inquired minutely into all the circumstances which 
had led to the crime. Michael, whose acute understanding could be 
surpassed only by the warmth and benevolence of his heart, which 
ever throbbed in sympathy with his fellow creatures ; Michael, whose 
life was devoted to struggles against the iniquities of the bureau 
cracy ; Michael, well-acquainted with this weakness of Russian ad 
ministration, the veil cast over which he had pierced in countless 
places with the shafts of his keen wit and biting satire ; this noble 
prince, who was aware of his brother's severity, but who also well 
knew his magnanimous and truly imperial nature ; — Michael hast- 
ened next morning to the Emperor, exposed to him, , in all their 
smallest details, the circumstances of the crime, threw the chief 



GOSTINOY DWOR. 143 

blame upon those who — although the law could not punish them 
for their negligence — were undoubtedly the real culprits ; prayed, 
entreated, supplicated the Emperor to pardon the offender, or at 
least to postpone the punishment. His truly chivalrous character 
and earnest pleadings at last gained the day. With the speed of an 
arrow an aide-de-camp was despatched to the scene of the horrible 
punishment; in the far distance the officer commanding the parade 
saw the horseman and his waving handkerchief, gave a signal, and 
the uplifted rods were suspended, as by enchantment, in the air — but 
at the same moment the criminal fell to the ground. Rescue came 
too late. The delinquent was placed upon a cart and taken to the 
hospital, but the next morning he was a corpse. 

A half-crazed widow, and five orphan infants, wept over the un- 
happy man's grave. 

A noble and generous prince murdered — an honest man driven 
to despair and crime — an innocent family reduced to beggary, and 
rendered miserable for life — the Emperor's bounty transformed into 
a curse ; — such are the works of an arbitrary and unprincipled 
bureaucracy, to whom must unquestionably be imputed the melan- 
choly fate of the unfortunate Prince Gagarin. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

GOSTINOY DWOR. 

THE stranger who arrives in Paris for the first time jumps into a 
cabriolet and drives to an hotel ; but he does not alight from 
the vehicle, he only hands over his baggage to the porter, and 
hurries off, without giving himself time to change his dress, to the 
Palais Royal ; for the Palais Royal has so identified itself with his 
ideas of Paris, and his curiosity to become acquainted with Paris is 
so great, that he thinks he cannot soon enough feast his eyes on this 
abridgment of the French capital. Subsequently he may get 
intimately to know all parts of Paris ; but, on his return to his own 
country, the first word he says concerning the capital of the world 



144 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

is, " the Palais Royal," and the first question put to him is assuredly 
also about the Palais Royal. 

St. Petersburg, too, has its Palais Royal, but nobody speaks of 
it ; no foreigner has ever heard it extolled ; amidst the splendour 
and magnificence which there prevails, it passes, if not unnoticed, 
at least unwondered at ; and yet it is one of the most remarkable 
edifices Petersburg can boast. Certainly it differs greatly, as re- 
gards both exterior and interior, from the Palais Royal ; and yet it 
resembles it in the main point ; namely, in supplying all the mate- 
rial wants of humanity. The necessaries and luxuries of life, of 
every kind, and from all the countries of the world, are there col- 
lected together, and offered for sale. Its exterior is certainly not to 
be compared, for beauty and interest, with that of the Palais Royal, 
not even since M. Mauguin's cruel edict deprived the latter building, 
in the year 1830, of a very frivolous, but at the same time a very 
remarkable attraction. On the other hand, the intrinsic value of its 
contents, of the almost incredible treasure accumulated within its 
walls, immeasurably exceeds that of the costly tinsel displayed in 
the King's palace at Paris. 

This colossal bazaar was originally of wood, and stood upon the 
Moika. A terrible conflagration destroyed it in the year 1780, and 
with the building the flames consumed fully half the property of the 
shopkeepei-s of St. Petersburg. As some sort of compensation to the 
sufferers, the finest square in the city was allotted for the new build- 
ing, and an edifice of unparalleled size was constructed. In extent 
one-third larger than the Palais Royal, it has the additional ad- 
vantage that, having been built for the express purpose of com- 
merce, its plan is the one best adapted to that object. The Palais 
Royal is an enormous quadrangle, which includes two large theatres, 
one of them the first in France, the celebrated and unsurpassed 
Theatre Frangais, the other the Theatre du Palais Royal, which 
owes its fame principally to Dejazet and Samson, who, when it was 
opened in 1831, devoted their talents to its service. On three sides 
(upon the fourth the quadrangle is bounded by the court of the 
palace of the late Duke of Orleans, Louis Philippe) the spacious 
and beautiful apartments of the second floor are let as private 
residences. Here, too, before public gambling was abolished, were 



G OSTINO Y D WOB. \ 4 5 

several large suites of rooms occupied by gaming- tables. The out- 
ward faces of the building are also, in great part, taken up by 
shops. The chief beauty of the place consists in the pleasant 
garden which occupies the whole interior space of the long quad- 
rangle. Around this garden, which is planted with shady trees, and 
refreshed by cool fountains, are broad arcades whose handsome iron 
railings, and the passages leading to them, are shut up at night — 
and sometimes in broad daylight, when Paris happens to be 
shrouded in the gloom of political convulsions. On the other side 
of these railings, which run all round the garden (from which the 
palace court is separated by a handsome gallery, called the Galerie 
d'Orleans), are rows of elegant and magnificent shops, with splendid 
plate glass windows, through which are seen the choicest products 
of Parisian industry and taste. At night the blaze of gas, the 
throng of well-dressed loungers, the sounds of music, and the cool- 
ness which, when the weather is hot, in all Paris is only to be found 
near the pleasant fountains of the Palais Royal, combine to cast a 
fairy-like spell over the visitors to this delightful resort. A person 
who should arrive at Paris in the evening, visit the Palais Royal 
and nothing else, and then quit the city, would carry away with him, 
and retain for his whole life, the unclouded and delightful recollec- 
tion of the most remarkable and beautiful spot in the whole of the 
French capital.* 

The Gostinoy Dwor of St. Petersburg possesses none of these 
attractions. 

Between the Kasansky and the Anitschkow Palace, before you 
reach the garden of the Alexander Theatre, there rises on the right- 
hand side of the Newsky Perspective, a colossal stone building, of 
a square form, and enclosing a vast space. I counted 3100 paces 
which it took me to walk round the arcades that surround it. 
Broad stone steps lead up to the colonnades. The building is vaulted 
and extremely massive, two stories high, but inhabited by no one. 
There are no iron gratings to shut it up, as at the Palais Royal ; but 
when night approaches, and the shops are closed — which takes 

* It is hardly necessary to remark, that this high-flown description of the 
Palais Royal twenty years ago, is totally inapplicable to it in its present decayed 
state. — T. 



[46 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

place at dusk at all seasons of the year, it being strictly forbidden 
to have lights in the building — the watchmen extend ropes all 
round the place, from pillar to pillar. These cords are a warning 
barrier which must not be overstepped ; disregard of the silent in- 
junction would bring its own punishment, and be expiated by the 
transgressor with his life; for round the interior of the arcades runs 
a second set of ropes, passing through iron rings, which are attached 
to the collars of enormous wolf-hounds of great strength and fierce- 
ness. This mode of securing the four-footed sentries enables them 
to patrol a long beat ; and when any one approaches the stone steps, 
they never fail to reiterate, by howl and bark, the warning conveyed 
by the exterior ropes. Here and there burns a glimmering lamp, 
in a niche under the image of some saint, and by its feeble illumi- 
nation of these gloomy vaults, only increases their dismal aspect. 
Such is the Gostinoy Dwor by night. 

By daylight the building has no very cheerful appearance. The 
huge vaulted passages, built of rough stone, have a damp and not 
very clean look. The arches are plain and without decoration o 
any kind, the windows are small and dull, the shops display only 
so much of their contents as is absolutely necessary to let you know 
what description of goods they contain. At each shop door stands 
a Russian in his ordinary dress, in a long caftan, or in winter in a 
fur or sheepskin pelisse, a glass of smoking tea in his hand, which 
he gulps down without milk or sugar, whilst he invites the passers- 
by to enter and purchase. If he steps out of his doorway into the 
arcade, it assuredly is for the purpose of snatching an infant from a 
passing nurse, to fondle and kiss it, and, if he be a dealer in toys 
or eatables, to cram its mouth and pockets with the latter, or to 
make it presents of the former. This passion of the Russians for 
overwhelming children with gifts and caresses, is so universal, that 
my physician strongly enjoined me to forbid my children ever ac- 
cepting the hospitality of these shopkeepers ; for it not unfrequently 
happens that the doctor vainly seeks the cause of some violent in- 
digestion, of which the nursemaids profess entire ignorance, until at 
last rigorous examination extorts from them a confession that the 
little patients, during their walks abroad, have partaken too freely 



CLASSIFIGA TIOK \ 47 

of the marchpane and pastry proffered them by the kindness of the 
bearded Russian shopkeepers. 

Inside, the shops of the Gostinoy Dvvor are roomy and comfort- 
able, but by no means elegant. It would be difficult, however, for 
the most fantastical imagination to devise any want that could not 
here be at once supplied. You might go to the Gostinoy Dwor in 
your nightgown, and leave it, in two hours 1 time, completely equip- 
ped according to the latest fashion, seated in an elegant carriage 
with four fine horses, coachman, outriders, and livery servants ; for 
if carriages and horses are not exactly kept on sale in the building, 
on the other hand, brokers and dealers are there in plenty, eager to 
supply you. Would you breakfast ? From the potato to the oyster, 
from cheese to pineapple, you have your choice. Passing out of the 
arches, you then enter the internal area of the building; that space 
which in the Palais Royal is taken up by trees and fountains. Here 
it is filled with shops, warehouses, cellars, and stores, innumerable 
and capacious ; and is so richly stocked with goods of every kind, 
costly colonial produce, furs, leather, oil, spirits, metals, manufactures 
of all sorts, from tailors' wares up to the most costly jewellery, — 
with all and every conceivable object, in short, of necessity and 
luxury, — that you are forced to admit that such a mass of merchan- 
dise, collected in one place, is not to be found in London or any 
other city in the world ; and you will cease to wonder at my asser- 
tion, that the terrible fire of 1780 swallowed up half the property 
of the whole commercial community of St. Petersburg. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

CLASSIFICATION. 



RUSSIA is inhabited by two sorts of men ; by Freemen and by 
Serfs. But who is free in Russia ? The question is hard to 
answer. Let us put another. Who are not free ? The reply is of 
the easiest. All, save one man, who unites, in his own person, 
power, right, and freedom. 

There is an old German song that runs something in this way : — 



148 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

" The sparrow eats the fly, 
The sparrow-hawk the sparrow, 
The eagle eats the sparrow hawk ;" 

and so on. Here vou have the gradation of Russian freedom ; it 
depends entirely on the appetite and good stomach of the eagle, and 
he has fattened all the others the better to fatten himself. That is 
the delicate allegory of an autocratic regime. Meanwhile, it is un- 
deniable that for Russia hitherto this has been the only regime possi- 
ble, and perhaps for a long time to come it will continue so to be ; 
and it must also be admitted, that in the manner in which the sys- 
tem has been carried out ever since Peter the Third's peaceful end, 
it is the only wholesome and improving one for the country. 
Catherine and all her successors have really been desirous of Rus- 
sia's good; Paul, too, desired it; that he was half crazy none will 
impute to him as a crime. He might have said with Joan of 
Arc, " Alas ! it was not my choice !" But nevertheless he did much 
good, especially in the organisation of the army ; and when a Rus- 
sian despot is disposed to improvement, his progress is rapid, not 
being delayed by the drag-chain of constituent chambers and na- 
tional assemblies. There exists certainly a sort of consulting sen- 
ate ; but on important affairs the Czar— using the court language, 
which is French — says, Passons la dessus ! The recent history of 
Russia justifies such bold steps by the results it exhibits. Whoever 
investigates the almost incredible progress which this still semi-bar- 
barous nation has made in the last eighty years, is compelled to ad- 
mit, however unwillingly, that such gigantic strides are only possi- 
ble under an autocrat's rule. 

Although the Russian, great or small, lofty or humble, is before 
his Czar (like we other mortals before God), neither more nor less than 
nothing, yet these nonentities have a political classification, and are 
duly divided into nobles, burghers, and peasants. The nobles are 
free, that is to say, as free as any one can be in Russia ; the noblest 
cannot marry according to his heart's choice, if that choice does 
not chime in with the Czar's good pleasure ; or, if he desires to go to 
Italy, and the Czar strikes out the word " Naples" on his passport, 
and inserts "Tobolsk," the horses, against their master's will, gal- 
lop eastward instead of south-west — such is the instinct of Russian 



CLASSIFICATION. 149 

horses. Or if by chance he desires to serve in the cavalry of the 
guard, ind the Czar sends him aboard a sloop of war, he sails upon 
the ocean instead of riding on horseback, and does so without a 
word of objection or complaint, because it is the Master's will. 
Such things happen very rarely ; but they may happen, and when 
they do, they happen de jure as well as de facto, for the Czar's will 
is the Russian's law. For this slight pressure of the eagle's claw, 
the sparrow-hawk, once more at liberty, stoutly avenges himself on 
the sparrow, which in its turn gobbles up the fly. 

To return, however, to our classification. Next to that source 
of all power and greatness, the Court, stands the nobility, which is 
divided into two classes — the aristocracy of birth, and the aristoc- 
racy of service or government employment. The possessor of the 
first-mentioned sort brings it with him into the world, and retains 
it until death — always supposing some gracious decree does not in- 
tervene to send him off to the Caucasus, shorn alike of hair and 
aristocracy. This, however, happens only as a punishment for a 
crime ; and even in this condemnation to service as a private soldier 
there is a certain degree of mercy ; for in the ranks of the army, 
and under fire of the enemy, the degraded nobleman has oppor- 
tunity of regaining rank and title. 

The second order of nobility, the official aristocracy, is within 
reach of any one who aspires to it — if he only live long enough. 
On entering the public service he takes his place in Class Fourteen. 
That is just a little more than nothing at all, and usually elicits a 
deep sigh from the person who confesses himself to belong to that 
class, and a compassionate smile from him to whom the confession 
is made. Promotion, however, is pretty rapid ; and as, if I do not 
mistake, nobility is attained with the eighth class, which point even 
the dullest connot fail to reach, even by mere progressive seniority, 
so the candidate, if he lives, is sure of attaining his object. The 
higher classes confer a military grade, from lieutenant up to general. 
A counsellor of state, for instance, has lieutenant-general's rank ; a 
state counsellor of the first order a general's rank, with the title of 
Excellency. The hereditary nobles begin at once with the rank of 
major ; which must, however, be earned over again by service to 
the state ; for in social position and estimation the official aris- 



150 PICTURES FB OM ST. PET Eli SB UB G. 

tocracy stand far higher than the hereditary ; and a high-born 
count of a low official class, feels himself very small beside a ple- 
beian who has outstripped him in official rank. This arrangement 
is wise and just, and does much to compensate the tyranny of birth, 
whose aristocratic exclusiveness it overthrows ; procuring at the 
same time due consideration and esteem for the only true nobility — 
the nobility of good conduct and useful services. 

Immediately after this official nobility comes the commonalty, 
or class of burgesses, a free class, consisting chiefly of traders. In 
this class, also, there are gradations. Highest upon the ladder 
stand the merchants of the " first guild," the aristocracy of capital 
and industry. The middle station is occupied by merchants of the 
second guild, whose commerce has narrower limits ; whilst on the 
lowest range, next the ground, are found traders of the third guild, 
— petty dealers, who have not even, I believe, the right of drawing bills 
of exchange. The commercial aristocracy of the first guild, which 
enjoys the privileges of the nobility, imitates it in many respects — 
drives four horses, keeps a sumptuous house, inhabits beautiful 
villas, and in every possible way, and in emulation of the great no- 
bles, strives to ruin itself, — with less success, however, than those it 
apes, since the inexhaustible fountains of trade constantly refill the 
empty coffers. One can hardly form an idea in Germany of the vast 
wealth of some of these Russian merchants. Stieglitz, one of the 
richest bankers in Russia, left behind him, at his death, a fortune of 
40,000,000 of rubles banco, besides a great deal of land. And 
yet there is no dearth in Russia of people richer than he was. 

The merchant of the second guild represents the true citizen 
class {Burger stand, bourgeoisie) of Russia, so far as such a class 
there exists. He is moderately rich, unostentatious in his manner 
of life, and limits his social intercourse to his own family and im- 
mediate friends. His dwelling is substantial and comfortable in all 
its parts ; his table excellent, and hospitably spread for every one ; 
for in hospitality he does not yield to the aristocracy of his class. 
He expects, however, that guests will be content with what they 
find, and eat their barley broth and beef to-day with as good appe- 
tite as their truffles and bears' paws, yesterday. His equipage is 
not brilliant; but his horse will trot against any in the city Of an 



MASTER AND SLAVE. 151 

evening he is a frequenter of the Alexandrian or Stone Theatre, 
where operas and ballets are performed. Although there are no 
enormously, rich individuals in this class, as a body it represents a 
colossal and very solid capital. 

The traders, of the third rank, druggists, forwarding agents, and 
the like, live very quiet and retired. They derive a decent com- 
petency from their dealings, are well pleased so long as they can 
avoid getting to loggerheads with the police, and represent the class 
which the French designate by the word " spicier." With them 
conclude the commercial classes; which, besides military men and 
government officials, include all the free population of Kussia. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

MASTER AND SLAVE. 



THE origin of serfdom in Russia is unknown ; even Russian wri- 
ters contradict each other on this point. The assertion of sev- 
eral of them that it was first introduced under Feodor, is refuted by 
the fact that it already existed in the time of Wasilje Ivanowitsch. 
But it may be traced much further back, to the period of Tartar 
domination. In the middle of the fifteenth century, even the Rus- 
sian princes were subject to the Tartars ; or, as the latter were wont 
to express it, "serfs and peasants of the Khans of the Golden 
Horde." At that time the Russian princes stood in the position of 
vassals to the Tartar khans. The khans set up and pulled down 
the Russian princes at pleasure ; brought them before their tribunal ; 
passed judgments on them, depriving them of freedom, and even 
of life, and exacted tribute from those whom they confirmed in 
their authority. To collect this tribute, they sent ambassadors to 
the courts of the Russian princes, who received the envoys with the 
most striking tokens of reverence and submission. They went on 
foot to the gates of their capitals to receive them, and led their 
horses by the bridles into the very courts of their palaces. There 
the ambassadors seated themselves on thrones, and announced the 
khans' commands to the princes, who heard them kneeling, in which 



152 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

humble posture they had also welcomed the ambassadors. The 
splendid manner in which these were treated during their stay cor- 
responded with this reception, and gifts and feasts followed each other 
in uninterrupted succession. On the other hand, when the princes 
sent ambassadors to the khans, they were received only by one or 
two of the great officers of the Tartar court, all the hospitality shown 
them consisted in the gift of a few oxen, and, when admitted to an 
audience, they had to kneel to present their greeting to the khans, 
and to empty the cup of welcome in the same posture. As re- 
cently as the sixteenth century, when the Russians had succeeded 
in shaking off the Tartar rule, not even the good fortune of Wasilje 
Ivanowitsch, nor the terror inspired by the name of Ivan Wasilje- 
witsch, could protect them from fresh inroads of the Tartars, which 
had very nearly brought the scarcely-liberated Russian nation once 
more under the old yoke. 

In similar and still more dependent relations did the various 
classes of the Russian people stand towards each other. Peter the 
Great first erected the nobility into a real power, by enacting the 
law of primogeniture, and thus securing to them the unalienable 
possession of their property. By a ukase of the 23rd of March, 
1714, he abolished the law which previously to that date had en- 
joined the division of the family estates amongst all the sons, and 
thereby he created a new order in the state, to be viewed as the 
foundation upon which the future universal freedom of the Russians 
is to be based. This order, which represents the Russian tiers-Mat, 
is that of the Odnodworzen, or free peasants, and includes a great 
portion of the younger sons of the nobility, who have only received 
out of the paternal estate as much as would enable them to stock 
a farm ? on which they live as freemen, and do not forfeit any of the 
prerogatives of their rank as nobles. Their position is precisely 
similar to that of the poor Hungarian noble, who, with spur on heel 
and sword by side, follows the plough, and nevertheless, proud as a 
magnate, takes his seat in the national assembly — a privilege, by 
the bye, which the institutions of his country do not concede to the 
Russian. It was Peter III. who first gave the nobility complete free- 
dom (in the Russian sense of the words) : how much (or how little) 
was comprehended in this "complete freedom," may best be judged 



MASTER AND SLAVE. I53 

from the tenor of the various ukases by which Catherine II. extend- 
ed it. By these it was for the first time decreed that the nobleman 
could not be deprived of property or life without a trial, that he 
might dispose freely of property acquired by purchase (of fiefs only 
as the law provided), and that even as a private soldier he should 
no longer be liable to corporal punishment. The same ukases first 
constituted him rightful owner of all the treasures that might be 
disinterred on his property, — a highly important provision in a coun- 
try rich in minerals ; they gave him license also to establish manu- 
factories, and to found hamlets and markets ; and they exempted 
his person from taxes, and his houses from having soldiers quartered 
in them. 

From the position of the nobility in the eighteenth century, one 
may form a pretty good idea of that of the peasants, who, with the 
exception of the Odnodworzen already referred to, found themselves 
in a state of complete serfdom. With the exception of their lives 
and the honour of their women, their owner was the unconditional 
and unlimited lord and master of their labour, and of what ap- 
parently belonged to them. I say apparently, because they only 
appeared to possess ; for what they had was theirs no longer than 
their master chose not to strip them of it. Even the two above- 
mentioned restrictions imposed upon his power were purely illusory, 
in consequence of the vast extent of the country, the immense 
distance, and of the consequent impossibility for aggrieved serfs to 
reach the residence of the Czars ; — whence arose the Russian 
proverb, " God is high above us, and the Czar is far away." 

Legally, the same deplorable state of things prevails at the 
present day, with only the difference — as related in Chapter II. — 
that serfs are now regarded as an integral portion of the soil, from 
which they can no longer be separated. Formerly their lord had 
unlimited power of disposing of them ; even the sanctity of the mar- 
riage tie was no guarantee against a forcible separation : the serf 
was not a man, but an article of traffic and merchandise ; his position 
was precisely that of the helot of ancient times, and of the negro 
slave at the present day. Now, at least, he forms part of his 
owner's immoveables. He is a fixture, and can only be transferred 

to other hands by the sale of the estate to which he pertains. In 

7# 



154 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

the conclusion of such sales, the situation of the property, the quality 
of the soil, the greater or less proximity to a large town, the forests, 
roads, canals, &c, all enter largely into consideration ; but the num- 
ber of the dwellers upon the estate is what chiefly regulates its 
value, because by that is to be estimated the extent of cultivated 
ground. In the time of the French war, when estates were sold, 
male serfs were usually rated (women are not reckoned) at 40 rubles 
banco; often, however, at a much higher sum, as much as 150 or 
even 200 rubles. At that time paper money, which was issued in 
very small quantities, had a far higher value. At the present day 
the average rate is 100 rubles for each serf. 

The lot of the serfs — always an unhappy one — is more or less 
endurable according to the character of their master, on whose good 
pleasure depends the amount of compulsory labour, and of tribute 
in money and in kind. He shows his vassals the portion of land 
they must cultivate for him, and allots the remainder amongst them 
according to his own will and caprice. He is at liberty, if he so 
pleases, to take from them land which their labour has already got 
into cultivation, and to settle them upon some spot as yet un- 
cleared. Just when he pleases he can take possession of all that 
belongs to them ; towards them he has no other duty to fulfil but 
to provide them, in time of scarcity, with daily food, which, on such 
occasions, is usually scanty enough, and^to furnish them with seed 
corn, and with the cattle required for ploughing. When estates, in 
proportion as their population increases, gets almost entirely lotted 
out amongst the serfs, the owners exact from the latter, instead of 
the soccage, or compulsory and unpaid labour, a yearly tribute called 
Obrok, whose average amount is ten or twelve rubles banco. If 
the lord of the soil fixes neither obrok nor amount of labour, the 
law fixes three days' work a week for every male who has attained 
his fifteenth year, and for women and children labour in proportion 
to their strength. This is generally decided by the Upravittli (stew- 
ard of large estates), or, on smaller domains, by the Prikaschtschiki ; 
these, many of them serfs themselves, for the most part rule with a 
rod of iron, and the unfortunates are truly to be pitied who come 
under their domination. Happily for the serfs, the system of obrok 
is in most instances adopted, and if they pay this tribute regularly, 



MASTER AND SLAVE. I55 

they lead an endurable and tolerably independent existence. Many, 
especially young people, prefer to repair to the towns, and easily 
obtain permission from their masters, as they are then expected to 
pay higher obrok. They receive a passport, which is renewed an- 
nually, on payment of the tribute, and they are then at liberty to 
follow the occupation they please. Many work as day labourers and 
journeymen in the large cities ; others hire themselves out as 
coachmen, servants, cooks, <fec. ; some devote themselves to trade, 
and, as the Russian is born a trader, these often attain to com- 
petency and wealth. Do they, however, belong to a hard and self- 
ish master, riches can never be theirs, for as fast as they accumu- 
late, he despoils them, thus nipping their prosperity in the bud. 
Concealment of the real state of their finances is impossible, since 
they are not independent, but can trade only under their master's 
name, so that he has at all times access to their books, and an in- 
sight into their affairs. If a serf is so unfortunate as to be owned 
by such a master, his lot is pitiable in the extreme ; all the hard- 
earned fruits of his toil flow into the coffers of his tyrant, who, 
himself often poor, plays the great man at St. Petersburg or Mos- 
cow on the strength of the industry of a few hundred peasants, and 
by his exorbitant and oppressive exactions, sucks the very blood 
from the veins, and marrow from the bones of his unfortunate vas- 
sals. Of such unhappy wretches the existence is one of wailing and 
despair ; they pursue their occupations mechanically and without 
interest, and sink at last into complete indifference to everything, 
and into a sort of dull demi-idiocy. Their decaying habitations re- 
semble the dens of wild beasts rather than human abodes ; their 
food is bad and unwholesome; their half-starved bodies are clad in 
squalid rags. Should they contrive, in spite of still recurring exac- 
tions, to accumulate property, it profits them not. Fearing to be 
dispossessed of it by their tyrants, they bury it in the ground ; 
and it has often happened, after (he death of poor wretches who 
had led a life of abject poverty, that considerable sums of money 
belonging to them have been found concealed in cellars, barns, and 
other hiding-places. There can be no doubt that this fear of spoli- 
ation withdraws very important sums from public circulation, and 
in that manner cramps, in no trifling degree, the commercial ener^ 



156 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

gies of the country. One of the many evils, although not the 
greatest, resulting from the fatal institution of serfdom, and from 
the inhumanity and oppression which are often found inseparable 
from it. This is the state of things to whose ultimate abolition the 
Emperor Nicholas unceasingly and successfully directs the whole 
energy of his powerful will. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE SERF. 

THE serf constitutes an enormous proportion of the population 
of Russia. He is the prop of the whole empire, the substance 
of its material greatness, its strength and its guard, its nourisher 
and supporter. He is its agriculturist, its workman, its servant. 

The class of serfs has two divisions : the Crown peasants, and 
the peasants belonging to private owners. Both of these classes are 
serfs in the full sense of the word. A third class, now in its infancy, 
but which, thanks to the present government of Russia, is rapidly 
increasing and extending itself, and which bids fair to swallow up 
the two others in the course of another century or so, is that of the 
free peasants, which gradually, and keeping peace with the progress 
of civilization, springs from the two predominant classes. 

The free peasants, numerically still very insignificant, live, as 
free and happy men, upon their own land ; are active, frugal, and, 
without exception, well off. This they must be, for considerable 
means are necessary for the purchase of their freedom ; and, once 
free, and in possession of a farm of their own, their energy and in- 
dustry, manifested even in a state of slavery, are redoubled by the 
enjoyment of personal liberty, and their earnings naturally increase 
in a like measure. 

The second class, the crown peasants, are far better off (setting 
aside, of course, the consciousness of freedom) than the peasants of 
Germany. They must furnish their quota of recruits, but that is 
their only material burthen. Besides that, they annually pay to the 
Crown a sum of five rubles (about four shillings) for each male per- 



THE SERF. 157 

son of the household. Supposing the family to include eight work- 
ing men, which is no small number for a farm, the yearly tribute 
paid amounts to thirty- two shillings. And what a farm that must 
be which employs eight men all the year round ! In what country 
of civilised Europe has the peasant so light a burthen to bear ? How 
much heavier those which press upon the English farmer, the 
French, the German, and above all the Austrian, who often gives 
up three-fourths of his harvest in taxes. If the Crown peasant be 
so fortunate as to be settled in the neighbourhood of a large town, 
his prosperity soon exceeds that even of the Altenburg husbandmen, 
said to be the richest in all Germany. On the other hand, he can 
never purchase his freedom ; hitherto, at least, no law of the Crown 
has granted him this privilege. 

Finally, the third class of serfs consists of those belonging to 
private individuals. These are the true serfs — the slaves, in short* 
The whole life of a serf of this class is a mere lottery ; his happiness 
— that is to say, his fate for the moment — depends on the turn of 
the wheel which gives him, in his master, a prize or a blank. And 
even when fortune in this respect favours him, he is constantly in 
danger of losing to-day what he yesterday won. There arc num- 
bers of these serfs who cheerfully support their lot ; and if they are 
in good hands, it is not an unhappy one, for their material wants 
are well supplied, and they cannot miss the liberty they never knew. 
The Russian government does an immense deal for the alleviation of 
the condition of these unfortunate people, who as yet are not ripe 
for complete emancipation ; and, truth to tell, those amongst them 
who are greatly to be pitied are the exceptions to the rule. But i? 
it not sufficient wretchedness to be still upon so low a grade of men- 
tal cultivation that the absence of all the rights of man does not ap- 
pear a deprivation ? 

The general lot of these serfs cannot be very well described, as 
that of each one amongst them depends upon his master's idiosyn- 
cracy, upon his passions, humours, expectations. In character and 
capacity, however, the serfs are generally much alike — those, at 
least, of European Russia, to whom I here particularly refer. As re- 
gards physical characteristics, the Russian peasant is usually strong, 
healthy, and of a masculine style of beauty. This last, however, is 



158 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

a beauty of growth and form, rather than of physiognomy, which 
latter has usually rather a Sarmatian cast and expression: yet I 
have often seen persons of that class whose really elevated style of 
beauty enchanted me; heads which I should have gazed at with 
equal wonder and admiration had I encountered them beneath the 
sunny sky of Italy. I shall never forget the artelschik of a drug- 
gist's warehouse in St. Petersburg, whose really ideal beauty riveted 
my attention every time I met him. The elegant and noble figure, 
the pure form of the youthful, oval, and somewhat pallid counte- 
nance, the mild and speaking eye, the chin shaded with the down 
of early manhood, the rich, evenly-parted hair, streaming in thick 
locks over the shoulders — truly this slave, sprung from the dregs of 
the people, might well have inspired a painter, and sat as model for 
the genius of freedom. Such remarkable specimens of manly 
beauty are certainly of extremely rare occurrence amongst the serfs; 
but, nevertheless, as a whole, the personal appearance of the class is 
agreeable and prepossessing. As regards their character, the moral 
pressure seems to have weighed more heavily upon their souls than 
upon their bodies. Left entirely to himself, the Russian carries him- 
self erectly, and his naturally dignified bearing is often imposing. 
In presence of his master, and especially in colloquy with him, he 
seems shy and oppressed, and his frame of mind influences the atti- 
tude of his body, which, on such occasions, is usually bent and 
depressed. Only in the case of coachmen did I perceive a differ- 
ence in this respect; they stood bolt upright before their masters, 
and in their tone and manner of expression betrayed none of that 
cringing subserviency which characterises other male servants in 
Russia. Whether this arises from the more independent nature of 
their occupation, whether the consciousness that their master's life 
is at any moment in their hands imparts to them a prouder feeling 
of equality, or what, in short, may be the reason of their difference 
of manner, I am unable to say, and must content myself with stat- 
ing the fact without assigning a cause. 

With his cringing humility the Russian serf combines enormous 
cunning. Under the first he carefully conceals his real disposition, 
whilst he well knows how to get round his master for his own ad- 
vantage and the attainments of his own ends. This humility, which 



THE SERF. 159 

had its origin in fear, has now become the serfs second nature. 
But, whilst fawning like a dog, he also possesses that animal's 
nobler qualities of attachment and fidelity to his master. The mas- 
ter who succeeds in rousing in the bosom of the serf that feeling of 
affection which from childhood has been suppressed, who, by showing 
him sympathy and benevolence, at last makes himself beloved by 
him, may build upon his fidelity as upon a rock, for that serf will 
lay down his life for him, unconditionally and without a moment of 
hesitation. The same Russian who, for a glass of brandy, kisses 
his lord's hand and knee — aye, and the very hem of his garment — 
pours out his blood to save him, joyfully sacrificing his whole 
earthly wealth to retain him as his master. In the neighbourhood 
of Kasan, a landed proprietor, oppressed by debts, was obliged to 
offer some villages for sale. As soon as his vassals, to whom he 
had always been a kind master, were aware of his embarrassments, 
they held a meeting, and subscribed the greater part of their hard- 
earned savings to relieve their beloved lord from his debts, and keep 
him as their owner. They asked no bond, no acknowledgment: 
it was entirely the effect of faithful and sincere attachment. And if 
a landholder, who is beloved by his serfs, has children, and allows 
the serfs to come about them, the serfs attach themselves to them 
with an enthusiasm of affection which every day increases, and 
which no amount of cruel treatment, unhappiness, and peril can 
deaden or destroy. The fidelity of such a serf is never belied; 
m behalf of the lad to whom he has attached himself, he will sub- 
mit to any ill usage, and will even brave his master's anger, deem- 
ing himself recompensed, for the hardest that may befall him, by a 
single glance from his darling, a pressure of whose hand would send 
him joyfully to encounter death. Such is the fidelity and affection 
of the Russian serf. 



160 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

A MERCHANT OF THE FIRST GUILD, AND A SPENDTHRIFT OF THE 

FIRST MAGNITUDE. 

TOU are standing beneath the arch of the Etat-Mojor at St. 
Petersburg, in contemplation of the superb building. Look at 
yonder bearded Russian coming at full trot down the great Mors- 
koije. A well-worn coat of skins envelopes his body, a beaver cap, 
shining as a looking glass, covers his head. He sits on a droschki, 
a low, four-wheeled vehicle, the whole body of which consists of one 
board, three feet in length. Riding upon this, his feet and legs ex- 
posed to the mire splashed up by his wheels, he skilfully guides his 
spanking black horse, a powerfully limbed brute, with a ram's head 
of no great beauty. You take him for a coachman, driving his 
master's mare to the farrier ; the master would surely never exhibit 
himself on such a drag. You are mistaken. That shabby board 
upon wheels, to which is harnessed that not very showy horse — a 
trotter from the Orloff stud, sold, as a great favour, for 10,000 paper 
rubles — belongs to the old Russian himself, who, having just return- 
ed from a journey, desires to ascertain for himself whether his sta- 
bles have been properly cared for in his absence, or who, perhaps, is 
on his way to the race-course to wager a few hundred thousand 
rubles on the mare he is driving before him. To-morrow you may 
meet this original — not the only one of his sort in St. Petersburg — 
in an elegant phaeton and four, the horses harnessed two and two, 
which is a privilege of the nobility, — shared, however by the mer- 
chants of the First Guild. Of that guild is yonder splashed and 
bearded Russian. He has his sixty or eighty millions of rubles at 
his command, and is known here as old Jacobleff, to distinguish him 
from his only son, who is more capable of squandering the eighty 
millions than of accumulating one. 

The origin of this remarkable man (remarkable in many respects, 
and amongst others by reason of his benevolence) is unknown. Very 
old people have said that they remembered his father, when he first 



A MERCHANT OF THE FIRST GUILD. 161 

arrived in St. Petersburg, wrapped in a sheepskin, the four-cornered 
Polish cap upon his head, and with labkars on his feet.* 

In what way this man's son acquired his colossal fortune, is un- 
known ; all that is known is, that he devoted himself to commerce, 
was successful in various enterprises, and purchased, some twenty 
years ago, property in several parts of the interior of the empire. 
The story goes that in digging a well in one of these estates, he came 
upon a treasure, hidden there in the time of the French invasion, 
and which the owners had not been able again to discover. These, 
however, are doubtless mere popular traditions, which have had their 
origin in the man's fabulous wealth. Fact it is, that, next to Prince 
Demidoff, he is considered the wealthiest private individual in Rus- 
sia, and possesses houses, estates, mines, and extensive commercial 
connections such as no one else can boast of. Notwithstanding 
this, he lives in a retired manner, in a burgher circle, and keeps 
aloof from the nobility, to whose society his quality of a merchant 
of the First Guild, as well as his enormous wealth, would at any 
time procure him admission. But he prefers to be a little prince in 
his own house and on his own estates. Still active, as at the com- 
mencement of his career, he does not disdain, on festive occasions, 
to vie with the nobles in luxury and splendour, in which he is then 
unsurpassed by the first amongst them. In general, however, (and 
this is characteristic of his whole class) he is a thorough trader, im- 
bued with the commercial spirit, and taking such pride in the exac- 
titude of his dealings and prices, that he would rather give away 
thousands than abate a farthing of any claim which he knew was 
just and fair, and honestly his due. A single anecdote will suffice 
ty give an idea of the business-like tenacity, and at the same time 
of the princely and haughty munificence of this Russian " Merchant 
of the First Guild." 

When the Winter Palace was burned, the new building was to 
be covered with iron plates, and General Kleinmichael invited tend- 
ers for the metal. JacoblefF sent in his ; he was told in reply that 
another person offered to supply the iron a kopeck a pound cheaper, 

* LalTcars are a covering for the feet, woven out of birch tree bark, and used 
oy the poorest Kussian peasants. 



162 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

but that if he would supply it at the same price the general would 
recommend the Emperor to give him the preference. The contract 
was for a sum of several hundred thousand rubles, and worth bar- 
gaining for; Jacobleff, however, told the general that he did not 
drive bargains with his sovereign ; that he could not give up the 
kopeck, but that if his majesty would graciously honour him by 
accepting the roof of the palace as a present, it would be his pride 
to supply it as solid and as beautiful as possible. The old merchant 
got the contract, without abatement. 

Another time the Emperor was informed that JacoblefF's only 
son, a lieutenant in the guards, and a most unparalleled scapegrace, 
had gambled away at skittles, in a single afternoon, one million ru- 
bles banco. Indignant at such scandalous prodigality, the Emperor 
ordered the young man's name to be struck out of the army list. 
Feeling sorry for the father, he sent an aide-de-camp to break the 
news to him tenderly, and to assure him of his imperial favour. The 
aide-de-camp found him working in his room, and, after acquitting 
himself of his commission, handed him his son's dismissal. The old 
man sank back in his arm-chair as if stunned. At last he recov- 
ered himself, and, trembling, with the sweat of anxiety upon his 
face, he stammered out the words, u In God's name ! what crime 
has he committed ?" The officer told him of the lost million. Ja- 
cobleff drew a deep breath, wiped his brow, rose from his chair, and 
said in a firm tone, but evidently deeply wounded, "Thank Heaven 
that it is only that ! I thought he had done something terrible ! I 
cannot but feel hurt that for such a trifle my son should be so se- 
verely punished !" 

This young Jacobleff had brought matters to such a pitch that 
his bills were current paper on the Exchange. True, that they were 
only worth forty or fifty per cent, of their amount ; for his father 
had declared that he would discharge no more debts of the prodi- 
gal's contracting. At that heavy discount, however, he could always 
get money ; for if he outlived his father, as it was natural to expect, 
his bills, obtained at half-price, would have their value, and be 
speedily paid by the profuse heir of boundless wealth. So he never 
lacked usurers ready to minister to his extravagance. One day an 



A SPENDTHRIFT OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE. 163 

acquaintance of mine came to me with a beaming countenance. I 
inquired the cause of his evident joy, and he told it me. 

"This morning," he said, "I met young Jacobleff, who dragged 
me away, quite against my will, to breakfast with him. I had no 
stomach for the oysters, and could not swallow the champagne. 
On my entertainer's pressing inquiry what ailed me, I at last con- 
fessed to him the truth, that I was in great embarrassment, over- 
whelmed with debts, and by day or by night had no peace from 
duns. 

"He burst into inextinguishable laughter. 'You in debt!' he 
cried, ' How can that be ? Who, in Heaven's name, will give you 
credit ?' 

" ' Such fools there unfortunately are ; and as, in St. Peters- 
burg, as you well know, nothing is given gratis, the interest has by 
this time increased the capital to the immense sum of 20,000 paper 
rubles.' 

"Another Homeric guffaw interrupted my disconsolate tale. 
Vexed at seeing my misfortunes thus turned into ridicule, I made 
an abrupt movement, and, in so doing, upset my champagne-glass. 

" Jacobleff ceased laughing. ' Oh, for shame !' cried he, now 
quite serious, 'to spill my prime champagne on account of such a 
trifle. Money I cannot give you, for I have not ten rubles in the 
house. But if you would like a bill, it is at your service.' 

" ' Your bills !' cried I, requiting with a sneer his scornful 
laughter, which still grated on my tympanum. 

'"Oh! he replied, 'they are not quite so despicable as you 
think : for their full amount certainly no one will take them. But 
if I give you one for 50,000 rubles, I venture to hope you will 
have no difficulty in obtaining for it the 20,000 you require.' 

" And, as if he were merely addressing a letter, he filled up a 
bill, of which he had a store by him, signed it, handed it over to 
me, and, with gentle violence, insisted on my eating my breakfast. 
I had suddenly regained my appetite ; we ate and drank manfully, 
pushed about the bottle till 'Change time, then I jumped into my 
droschki, and drove to Wasili-Ostrow. In less than a quarter of 
an hour my business was done. Here is the cash for the bill : 
20,000 rubles in good bank notes, in exchange for 50,000 in a bill, 



164 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

of very dubious value. But I am out of iny difficulties, and long 
live Jacobleff." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

A MERCHANT OF THE SECOND GUILD. 

IT was in the month of April, 1814. Never had the St. Peters- 
burg sun risen upon a happier population. The bells rang in 
every tower and steeple; the clergy hurried in crowds to the 
churches ; the troops, in their showiest uniforms, marched to their 
parade-grounds ; the streets of the capital were crowded with peo- 
ple in holiday attire. When acquaintances met, they stopped, 
embraced, and kissed each other, as at the Easter festival. "At 
last it is over," they said, rejoicingly, to each other ; " a courier has 
arrived : on the 31st, the Allies made their entrance into Paris." 

Paskewitsch would have said : " France is at the feet of his Im- 
perial Russian Majesty." 

In the palace of the Empress-mother, great was the joyous 
tumult. Only in the inner apartments of Paul's widow the custo- 
mary solemn stillness reigned. Even on this day of universal joy, 
she had not laid aside the mourning robe which she had worn ever 
since that terrible night in the Michaelow Palace. A chamberlain 
entered, and announced the visit of her confessor, who desired an 
audience. She closed her prayer-book, and left her cabinet to re- 
ceive him. In the reception-room she found the priest in conversa- 
tion with two lackeys of the Court, who retired on her appearance. 
The priest respectfully approached ; and on the Empress's question 
as to the motive of his visit, he informed her of a singular event. 
The servants had just reported to him that, early that morning, on 
approaching the apartments of the Empress, they had found a cov- 
ered basket standing at the outer door. On opening it, they found 
it to contain a new-born child. 

On a sign from the Empress, a bedchamber woman brought her 
the infant. With her own hand, Maria Paulowna drew back the 



A MERCHANT OF THE SECOND GUILD. 155 

cioth that covered it, and U blue-eyed little girl smiled confidingly 
upon her. The Empress gazed earnestly at the foundling. 

" I exist only for others," said she with emotion, laying her 
hand upon the infant's head, " and you, too, shall have my care. 
The child is henceforward mine," added :he, turning to the priest. 
" God has sent it me to celebrate the entrance into Paris. In mem- 
ory of that, christen her by the name of Parisia." 

Whilst one form of human destitution thus found an asylum in 
the palace of the Romanoffs, another knocked at the door of a ple- 
beian dwelling. 

At the house of Ha**, a merchant at Wasili-Ostrow, a half- 
naked boy implored admission. The kind-hearted merchant took 
him in, and gave him employment as an errand-boy in his ware- 
house. Iu** soon displayed so great a desire to learn, and so much 
zeal in his master's service, employed his leisure hours with such 
enthusiasm in intellectual improvement, and showed so much mer- 
cantile ability, that, after a very few years, his master appointed 
him to the important post of an artelschik, or factor. This subordi- 
nate position did not, however, satisfy the young man's ambition. 
His brain was constantly at work to devise a means of commencing 
a mercantile career on his own account. At last he went to his 
employer, and begged him to sell him a small cask of tobacco, on 
a month's credit. He had a speculation in view, he said, by which 
he hoped to gain something. His request was readily complied 
with ; at the end of the month he paid punctually, and got two 
more casks on credit. From month to month his commerce and 
his gains increased, until at last, with the help of Ha**, who un- 
willingly parted with his valuable artelschik, but yet gladly for- 
warded the views of the industrious young merchant, he set 
up in business for himself. After the lapse of a few years, he who, 
some twelve years previously, had walked the streets of St. Peters- 
burg barefoot, was a merchant of the second guild, doing an im- 
portant business in tobacco. Active and persevering, he was for- 
tunate in his undertakings, and built several large houses ; for 
which enterprises, according to Russian custom, the builder may 
have assistance from the imperial treasury ; and thus his fortune 
soon became considerable. Young, amiable, respected, and pros- 



166 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

perous, it was not surprising that many mothers cast their eyes upon 
him for their daughters ; but although he felt the want of domes- 
tic happiness, his heart had not yet spoken, and he would not 
marry without love. Once only, a young girl, whom he met in a 
bookseller's shop, made a strong impression on him ; but their 
meeting was so brief that it soon appeared to him like a dream — 
the more so that he had not been able to learn her name. After 
that meeting, he went oftener than before to the book shop ; but 
the work he sought did not appear. Thus his life flowed on, di- 
vided between business and the recreations suitable to his ao - e and 
position. He had a handsome, well-furnished house, an elegant 
carriage, a country villa at Petrowsky. Occasionally he went into 
society ; but passed more of his leisure in a small circle of good 
friends, and visited almost every evening the Burgher or Schuster 
Club, which derives the latter name from its founder. To this club 
every citizen has access, subject to a previous ballot. Many mili- 
tary men, and also government officials, also belong to it. The 
members assemble in a large, handsome building, comprising rooms 
for reading, billiards, cards, and conversation ; and regularly every 
evening, from six till ten, whist, ombre, and especially preference, 
the Russian's favourite game, are there played. Great banquets, 
comprising everything that the cellar and kitchen of St. Petersburg 
can produce, are also occasionally held there. Theatres in the sea- 
son, and concerts in Lent, vary the amusements to be found at the 
club and in private society ; and in summer, when business is over 
for the day, the country-house is resorted to, where friends pay and 
receive visits. There they have music, dance in the open air, ram- 
ble in the charming parks and islands that surround St. Petersburg, 
and make boating excursions on the Neva. The early morning 
hours are spent out of doors, then comes a river-bath, which every 
country-house possesses, and then the swift droschki whirls the 
man of business into the city. Such, in St. Petersburg, is the life 
of a merchant of the second guild. 

Thus did Iu** live. On a certain Sunday afternoon he was 
about to drive from his country house to Kamini Ostrow, when, 
just as he went out, a heavy-shower of rain fell, compelling a num- 
ber of ladies, who were passing at the time, to seek shelter on the 



A MERCHANT OF THE SECOND GUILD. 167 

covered terrace of his villa. He immediately threw open the fold- 
ing doors to offer them a refuge in his drawing-room, when to his 
great astonishment one of the first who entered was the young lady 
whom he had seen at the book shop, and who had been on her 
way to St. Petersburg in company with an elderly duenna when 
the rain surprised her. Their former brief meeting served as a pre- 
text for better acquaintance. Pereja Sulkowka was plainly but 
tastefully dressed, and enchanted her admirer as much by the grace 
of her manner and the resources of her mind as she at first sight 
had done by her personal charms. Her mother, the elderly widow 
of an officer, was the model of a respectable matron, grave without 
moroseness, conversible without loquacity. The evening approach- 
ed, and Iu** begged permission to escort them into the town ; he 
drove them to their residence, where everything indicated easy cir- 
cumstances and good house-keeping. Iu** cultivated the acquaint- 
ance; his first fleeting inclination developed itself into a warm af- 
fection, which was shared by the young girl, whose hand, in a few 
weeks' time, he demanded of her mother. He then for the first 
time learned that she had not power to dispose of the hand of 
Pereja, who was only her foster daughter, confided to her care by 
the Empress-Mother, and whose name, which had been corrupted 
by the Russian pronunciation, was Parisia. From the explanations 
that ensued, Iu** learned that his mistress had found a maternal 
protectress in the Empress on the very same day on which he had 
been hospitably taken in at Ha**'s house. The consent of the il- 
lustrious lady was asked by the lovers, and joyfully granted, and a 
rich dowry was allotted by the Empress to her adopted daughter 
— in lieu of which, however, the happy bridegroom begged the gift 
of the basket and linen in which she, who now made the happiness 
of his life, had first been cast helpless upon the world. He desired 
to preserve it for ever in his family as a memorial of his imperial 
benefactress. 

Iu** is now a happy husband, father of a numerous family, 
counts his revenue by millions, and has depots of his immense 
tobacco manufactures in almost every large town in Germany — 
in Berlin amongst others. He lives in great style at St. Peters- 
burg, does a splendid business, possesses estates, breeds cattle, and 



168 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

owns ironworks ; assists thousands of needy persons from his super- 
fluity, but still modestly remains — "a Merchant of the Second 
Guild." 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

A RUSSIAN SECT. 



IN barbarous lands, amongst jealous Mahometans, there still exists 
that revolting practice, which once was resorted to also in Italy, 
in order that the blas£ ears of musical dilettanti might be enraptured 
by the shrill notes of masculine sopranos. The ridiculous prudery 
of the time kept women from the stage, and replaced them by un- 
natural caricatures. In Germany there died a few years ago, at Dres- 
den, the last victim of that insane practice, a pensioned soprano of 
the royal concert room. Russia retains the melancholy distinction 
of possessing, amongst its unenlightened population, a mysterious 
and fanatical sect which imposes that dreadful condition upon its 
members, and combines, with mystical and unrevealed doctrines, the 
vilest greed of gain. 

You enter the shop of a St. Petersburg money-changer, lay your 
money upon the counter, and inquire the rate of exchange. A ca- 
daverous man with sunken eyes, thin hair, and beardless chin, ap- 
proaches you with a stooping gait, and replies in a shrill and un- 
pleasant treble. Your business transacted, he counts your money 
and gives you the value, in silence, with his eyes fixed upon the 
counter. As if he were ashamed of his voice, he never speaks but 
when obliged ; if he is compelled to look you in the face, gaze at 
him steadfastly for a moment, and his eyes timidly seek the ground 
You have before you the shadow of a man. 

This unhappy sect extends over all Russia, and all the money- 
changers belong to it. They are very rich, always bequeath their 
wealth to each other, and thus constitute a peculiar and despised 
money-aristocracy. Unwitting of connubial and paternal joys, they 
adopt those proselytes whom need, covetousness, or persuasion enlists 
in their ranks, and appoint them their heirs, binding them over to a 



A RUSSIAN SECT. 159 

similar testamentary disposition. The law pursues such vile en- 
snarers with the utmost severity, and if caught in flagranti they do 
not escape the knout and Siberia ; and yet — incredible though it 
seems — this sect rapidly increases. 

As if the bodily mutilation also crippled their souls, they know 
none of life's purer joys. Mammon is their god ; him they wor- 
ship. Every other enjoyment is repugnant to them ; shunned by 
every body, and excluded, partly by their own timidity, from all 
social intercourse, they lead a life of solitude, weariness, and dis- 
gust. And yet is their chief desire the increase of their sect ; no sacri- 
fice is too great, no danger too threatening, no bond of relationship 
too sacred ; the whole strivings of their miserable existence are di- 
rected to the attainment of that wicked end. 

A young, handsome, vigorous, and cheerful man was the brother 
of one of these — money-changers. A Russian by birth, he wore 
the whole of his well-grown beard, which flowed down upon his 
breast; fire sparkled in his eyes, nobility and dignity characterized 
his bold bearing and lofty stature. I used to see him at both the 
English and the Burgher clubs, at theatres and balls, riding and 
driving ; the national costume, which became him admirably, was 
worn by him in a somewhat modernized form, indicative of taste 
and of the habits of good society. In short, his whole appearance 
betrayed the man of the world, possessed of a keen relish for life. 

A journey into the interior of the empire removed me for some 
time from St. Petersburg. My first meeting with this man after 
my return was at the Burgher Club. What a change had taken 
place ! The vigorous young man had shrunk suddenly into age 
and decreptitude ; his bearing was languid and dejected, the fire of 
his eyes was extinct, his beard was gone — whether fallen out or 
shaven off, I cannot say. His dress was elegant, but worn with 
visible negligence ; he held a newspaper in his hand, but his gaze 
wandered listlessly from it, and wine stood before him upon the 
table, but he drank it not. 

" Look yonder at S ," said a friend to me. " Where ?" I 

asked ; " that man sitting there ?" I dared not trust my eyes. 

I accosted S . He, formerly so vivacious, greeted me with 

utter indifference of manner ; he poured out wine for me, and 



170 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

I drank to him. In return, he scarcely touched the glass with his 
lips. He spoke little, and no longer with his former energy of ex- 
pression, no longer in his clear, sonorous, tenor-tones. Soon he sat 
down again, and again took up the paper, again — not to read it. 
The impression he made upon me was most painful; I could not 
divest myself of *he idea that I had before me a person in the last 
stage of sickness, and soon as I could civilly leave him I walked away. 

Before leaving the club, I learned his melancholy history. 
Originally of slender means, he had fallen early into riotous society, 
and, led away by temperament and associates, he launched out into 
an extravagant course of life, and soon far outran his moderate in- 
come. After spending the interest, he squandered the capital, and, 
hurried away by the whirl of dissipation, he began to discount the 
inheritance he anticipated from his brother, who was excessively 
wealthy, a money-changer, and, consequently, without a family. 
Looking upon himself as his brother's sole heir, he made debts upon 
debts, until at last the clamour of his creditors compelled him to 
confess his position to his brother, and beg for help and assistance. 
The brother declared himself ready to pay his debts, to settle a 
handsome annuity upon him till the date of his own death, and to 
make him heir of all he possessed. But then he instantly damped 
the joy inspired by this declaration, by naming the condition 
on which lie would fulfil it. With horror and disgust the young 
man loaded his unnatural brother with reproaches, and rushed from 
the house, determined never again to see him. 

Meanwhile, every day added to S 's embarrassments ; mediat- 
ing friends brought about a reconciliation between the brothers : 
the debts of the younger were paid, and the day was devoted to re- 
joicing. 

After breakfast, the company got into two large three-horse 
sledges, and drove out a distance of eight versts, to the country- 
house of one of the party. They were seven in number ; all col- 
leagues of the elder brother. They sat drinking at the lonely 
country-house till late in the night. The elder brother and his 
friends drank sparingly ; but took care to keep their young guest's 
glass constantly filled. As midnight approached, the previously gay 
conversation took a more serious tone. In the strongest terms the 



A BUSSIAN SECT. 171 

elder brother represented to his junior the irregular life he was lead- 
ing, painted its certain consequences and his future misery in the 
most vivid colours ; then gave a pious direction to his expostulations 
and sought to envelope his former proposal in the garb of morality, 
Religious arguments were resorted to to overcome the young man's, 
repugnance ; and, when all the arts of persuasion were found to be 
in vain, and no representation of future riches and happiness could 
appease his anger, or quell his opposition, violence was had recourse 
to. The victim was stricken with a raging fever; and, in the deli- 
rium that ensued, uttered furious threats of vengeance and accusa- 
tion. But when he recovered, he was so debilitated both in body 
and in mind, and his energies were so subdued, that he abandoned 
the idea of revenge, and thenceforward dragged out a wretched exist- 
ence, a sacrifice to the fanaticism of a few raging enthusiasts, the 
worst of whom was his own brother ! 

I was near being an eye-witness of a similar incident. My road, 
from my country-house at Kalomeja, to my dwelling in St. Peters- 
burg took me late one night through the Balschoi-Mechansky (Great 
Mud-street), and past the Bank. Suddenly my droschki came up 
to a group of armed men. I recognised policemen and gendarmes, 
and observed some unusual commotion in a house on my left hand. 
I should have liked to investigate the occurrence, but the schasne- 
price compelled my coachman to drive on. 

The next day I learned that a gang of these fanatics had so 
worked upon the mind of a poor father of a family by making him 
brilliant promises in a moment of sore necessity, that they had at 
last prevailed upon him to subscribe to their tenets and form one of 
their sect. The master of the house, however, having his suspicions, 
had watched them, and had given information to the police, who 
had succeeded in catching the criminals in the very act. Those of 
them who survived their punishment, are now expiating their offence 
in the mines of Siberia ; but the hope of rooting out, by such just 
severity, this senseless and unnatural crime, must be a vain one, 
since its perpetration is stimulated by a religious fanaticism which 
will only yield to increased enlightenment, and disappear only with 
the rudeness and superstition of the great masses of the Russian 
people. 



172 PIGTUEES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

A DREAM. 

"E who has never wandered on a summer night through the 
streets and squares of St. Petersburg ; who has never contem- 
plated that magnificent panorama in the gentle moonlight, when the 
nocturnal stillness is broken only by the murmurs of the soft-flowing 
Neva ; he to whom the colossal statues, upon their immense pedes- 
tals, have never appeared, through the twilight of a northern night, 
like gigantic phantoms just risen from their graves, — let him not say 
that he has seen St. Petersburg. 

Select such a night, and go forth to gaze upon the monuments 
of by-gone greatness. Spectre-like they pass before you, their stead- 
fast eyes fixed upon the book of genuine and impartial history, to 
whose pages, impressed with adamantine and blood-red types, they 
point with iron fingers — alike to the inscription of undying fame, 
and to the record of infamy and crime ! 

It was on such a night that I returned alone from the country 
and paused upon the half of the Troitzky Bridge. The centre por- 
tion of the bridge had been removed to let vessels pass through. 
This is always done at night in order not to impede by day the 
traffic over the bridge. I got out of the carriage, had myself ferried 
across, and continued my way on foot towards the interior of the 
city. Passing along the quay, and by the Winter Palace, I ram- 
bled slowly to the Summer Garden, and sbon stood on the farther 
side of the canal, in front of that remarkable building, whose gratings, 
ditches, bridges, and palisades, betray the former fortress-like habita- 
tion of the Emperor Paul. 

The palace is now occupied by the school of engineers. Oppo- 
site the facade, in the outer court, stands the equestrian statue of 
Peter the Great. It is of bronze : the attitude of the figure is quiet 
and easy ; the horse is in an advancing attitude. The pedestal is of 
marble, adorned with very handsome bas-reliefs, and bears the sim- 
ple inscription : " To the Grandsire, the Grandson." Paul I. had it 
erected in the year 1800. 



A DREAM. 173 

In Northern Russia the summer nights, from the middle of May 
until the end of July, are almost as light as day. The quality of 
this nocturnal light is particularly favourable to the aspect of build- 
ings and statues, whose beauty it seems to heighten b} T a sort of 
enchanted radiance. I sat down upon a bench, whence I had a 
front view of the statue. Glancing to the left, my attention was at- 
tracted by the walled-up window of the Emperor Paul's sleeping 
room, into which apartment, since his death, no human foot has en- 
tered, nor ray of light penetrated. Often, when passing by, had I 
looked up at that window, but never with such absorbing interest as 
at that moment ; I sat gazing alternately at the " grandsire's" statue, 
and at the place of the " grandson's" death, until at last my 
thoughts grew confused, shadows hovered about me, and I fell asleep. 

I had not slumbered long, when I was roused by a noise, as of 
footsteps and hollow murmurs. I opened my eyes, but could see 
nothing, for all was shrouded in profound darkness. Suddenly the 
pale moon emerged from behind the clouds, and I distinguished in 
my immediate vicinity a group of five men, in old fashioned uni- 
forms, who, with pale countenances and uncertain gestures, whisper- 
ed secretly together. Almost as soon as I discerned them, one of 
them perceived me ; silently taking my arm, he led me away with 
him. 

We walked softly across the court to the great staircase. It 
was lighted up. To our right hand, at the entrance of the first 
corridor, stood a grenadier on sentry. He presented arms, and let 
us pass. Now we turned into a side passage, at the extremity of 
which we found ourselves in a great hall. At its inner door stood 
a Cossack on guard. Before he could call out, one of my compa- 
nions sprang upon him and drove a dagger into his left breast. 
Without a sound he sank upon the floor. The others strode across 
his body to the door ; it was fastened, but a violent kick burst it 
open, and we entered a lighted chamber, where was a man who, as 
it seemed, had just awakened from a deep sleep, and who was 
stretching forth his hand to the bell-rope that hung beside his bed. 
One of my companions, who was attired in a rich uniform, sprang 
forward and with his bloody dagger cut the rope above the out- 
stretched hand. 



174 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

A momentary pause ensued ; then one of the intruders ap- 
proached the man in the bed, and held out to him, after a low and 
respectful obeisance, with the one hand an open document, with the 
other a pen wherewith to sign it. Thereupon the man sprang from 
his bed, attired only in his shirt, and with a single bound was in the 
middle of the room, when he assumed so lofty an attitude, whilst 
his countenance and bearing were so imposing and dignified, that 
the others for a moment timidly gave back. Now commenced a 
vehement discussion, of which I, ignorant of the Russian language, 
unfortunately understood nothing ; I comprehended, however, that 
some hard condition was sought to be extorted from the person we 
had found in bed, for his countenance grew purple with fury, and 
when the murderer of the Cossack again approached him with pa- 
per and pen, he dealt him a blow in the face, which made him stag- 
ger three paces backwards. 

At the same moment that this happened, I heard a tumult of 
an unmistakable character in the guardroom below. A mute 
spectator of this singular affair, I had retired into the embrasure of 
a window, whence I now looked out upon the courtyard. There 
I saw the officer of the guard (whom I at once recognised as him 
who had admitted the others over the drawbridge into the court, 
and had conducted me to the foot of the palace stairs) hurry to the 
sentry and give him some order. " Guard turn out !" immediately 
exclaimed the man. The officer drew his sword, drew up the guard 
under arms, and from that moment the men stood as if rooted to 
the ground, without moving a muscle, or uttering a murmur. Such 
is the character of the Russian soldier under arms. 

Meanwhile the scene in the room above took another turn. Re- 
covering from his momentary stupefaction, the officer who had been 
struck rushed upon his antagonist, and — returned the blow ! Scarcely 
had his hand fallen upon the face of the half-naked man, when a 
panic fear seized all present ; timidly dispersing, they hurried wildly 
towards the door. But he who had struck the daring blow was 
beforehand with them ; erect, and with outstretched sword, he stood 
at the threshold, and warned them off with terrible words. Perhaps 
it was the excitement of the moment which led him involuntarily 
to use his native tongue, for what he said fell upon my ear in plain 



A DREAM. 175 

German, with, if I mistook not, a Hanoverian accent. " Back !" 
lie cried ; " upon this threshold stands death. I have laid hands 
upon him ; we are all lost — if he does not die !" Thrilled with 
horror, for a moment all stood like statues — then all trembled like 
the aspen leaf. My teeth chattered when I saw my countryman 
sheath his sword, unwind the sash from round his loins, and advance 
towards the nearly naked man. From that moment, the latters 
mood seemed completely changed. His dignity had given way to 
fear, his bold defiance to abject terror ; in lieu of commands he now 
poured forth prayers : his words and tones were no longer threaten- 
ing, but supplicatory. A shudder came over me when I saw lim 
clutch the paper and pen, and then, when these were snatched from 
him, sink upon his knees before his murderer. The majestic pow- 
erful man, who, a few moments before, seemed ready to defy the 
world, now crouched upon his knees, and sued, in piteous tone, for 
mercv and for life. It was too late. The man with the sash went 
up to him, and threw it in a noose around his neck. The others 
seized the two ends, and tugged hard at them. But in his deadly 
agony the naked man got his left hand through the noose, and drew 
it over his chin, so that it seemed impossible to strangle him. At 
the same time, with his right hand, and with the energy of despair, 
he defended himself against his adversaries, and struck one of them 
to the ground. Being a strong man, his stout resistance made it 
yet uncertain how the unequal contest might end, when suddenly 
his first assailant seized the heavy marble slab from ofT a dressing 
table, and brought it down with such violence upon the head of his 
victim, that he fell senseless to the ground, and stretched out his 
limbs upon the carpet — a dying man. 

Hastily did the assassins now untwist the scarf from the neck 
of the corpse, which they then laid upon the bed, and rushed, as if 
hunted by furies, out of the apartments, down the stairs, across the 
court. The guard still stood under arms ; motionless as a wall. 
Flying rather than running, we reached the drawbridge, and, at the 
very moment I was about to step upon it, the terrible " Man of the 
Marble Slab" approached me, and with his sword gave me so severe 
a cut across the forehead, that I was instantly deluged with blood. 

I awoke : I was still seated upon the bench, upon which I had 



176 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

fallen asleep ; in front of me was Peter's statue ; more to the left, 
the sleeping room of Paul. The sun's first beams were revivifying 
nature ; and their warmth fell pleasantly upon my limbs, which were 
chilled and stiffened by the night clew. I had had a dream, but a 
terrible dream ; that horrible scene, as it occurred in all its fearful 
reality, not as it has been misrepresented in Russian books of history, 
had been repeated, as I slept, before my affrighted eyes. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE STATUE OF PETER THE GREAT. 

THE colossal equestrian statue of Peter the Great, which stands in 
front of the senate house at St. Petersburg, is a magnificent mo- 
nument of art, worthy of the great Catherine, and doing not less 
honour to her invention than to her high-minded recognition of 
foreign merit. 

The hero of his country, mounted on a fiery steed, is here seen 
advancing, at full speed, along a rugged and unbeaten track, and 
crushing beneath the powerful tramp of his charger, the serpents 
that beset his path. Design and execution are alike grand, noble, 
and imposing. If certain small imperfections are to be detected in 
the work, these bear no sort of proportion to the remarkable excel- 
lence of the whole. I found the hand, which is extended (as if in 
benediction), somewhat stiff, the bust too long, and the thighs and 
legs too short. On the Roman tunic I will not pass judgment ; it 
is in conformity with the corrupt taste of our times, and is certainly 
not so bad as our Schwerin, in Roman armour and sandals, and a 
modern periwig. These, after all, are only external faults, which do 
not impair the value of the whole. The horse is of remarkable 
beauty, and in every respect a masterpiece. 

But whose pen could describe the beauty of the statue's head ? 
At the very first glance one feels that it is a portrait. It has all that 
life-like and truthful character which can only result from the closest 
observation of nature. With that national character which is so un- 



THE STATUE OF PETER THE GEE AT. 177 

mistakably impressed on Peter's features, and with those outlines 
of the Sarraatian type, are combined a characteristic expression of 
power, energy, elevation, and majesty. 

How could the artist succeed, so long after his model's death, in 
producing so striking a counterfeit, and in thus conveying the con- 
viction of reality and resemblance whilst complying with the utmost 
demands of ennobling art ? 

One word solves the riddle. Love guided the chisel, ^n whose 
traces the sculptor followed. 

A young Frenchwoman, Mademoiselle Collot, a relative of Fal- 
conet the sculptor, since so celebrated, was also an artist, and resided 
for some time in St. Petersburg. The Czar saw some of her statu- 
ettes, and their expression of combined power and gentleness made so 
strong an impression on him, that he paid a visit, in strict incognito, 
to the artist's studio. There he made acquaintance with Made- 
moiselle Collot, and was captivated by her charms. The remarkable 
tenderness of her nature deeply impressed his stormy and passionate 
soul ; the depth of her mind harmonised with his ; a bond of sym- 
pathy speedily encircled them. Before she knew on whom she 
bestowed herself, the young Frenchwoman was Peter's mistress. 
During the most ardent period of their romantic love, he sat to her 
for his bust. The woman's tender affection combined with the ar- 
tist's inspiration to produce the most perfect bust the world ever saw 
of one of its greatest men. What has become of that bust none 
know ; but fact it is, that when Catherine II. conceived the idea of 
the grand equestrian statue I have described, and sent to Paris for 
Falconet to execute it, that sculptor made his studies for the head 
after the master-piece of his relative, Mademoiselle Collot, who at 
that time was doubtless dead. Cotemporaries, at least, who were 
acquainted with both works of art, declared the head of the statue 
to be an unmistakable copy of that inimitable bust, whose unparal- 
leled beauty was wonderfully well reproduced in Falconet's colossal 
work. Truly ! nothing was wanting to the memory of the northern 
giant, but that love should transmit his portrait to posterity. 

Russian authors represent the liaison of the young Czar and the 
French lady as one that exercised much influence on the fate of the 
country. One writer says, that she was to Peter what the renowned 
8* 



178 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

Corinthian was to her lover. Another calls her an adopted daughter 
of Falconet ; but this is a manifest anachronism. 

The gigantic statue stands upon a granite block of rare size, but 
which, nevertheless, is inferior in magnitude to the Empress's origi- 
nal idea. Not far from Wiburg, she had had dug out a gigantic 
block, which, with extraordinary difficulty, and by rolling it, had 
been transported to St. Petersburg. This block she ordered to be 
placed, rough and unhewn as it was, as pedestal for the statue, 
which was to typify pure natural power. The sculptor, however, 
set himself so obstinately against her wish in this respect, that she 
at last allowed the stone to be hewn. The idea was an unfortunate 
one, for the block lost, under the operation, much of its size and im- 
posing grandeur, so much so, that when the statue was uncovered, 
Catherine, quite shocked at the diminution, exclaimed, " What has 
become of the great block ?" and went away quite out of humour. 

At that same moment she perceived a venerable looking old 
man, whose singular appearance fixed her attention. He was in the 
naval uniform of Peter's time, and had travelled from his distant 
home, defying the hardships of the long journey, to be present when 
honour should be done to his great leader, under whose command 
he had fought by land and by sea. Catherine spoke graciously to 
him, conferred upon him a considerable pension, and permission to 
appear at the palace whenever he pleased. 

The inscription on the monument is quite characteristic of 
Catherine's concise and condensed style of writing : 

41 Petro Primo, Catharina Secunda !" 

which is engraved on the front and back of the block — on the latter 
place, in the Russian language. 

Absorbed in thoughts of the greatness of her illustrious model — 
perhaps, also, musing on her own — Catherine did not perceive the 
silly bit of flattery to which her courtiers had instigated the sculp- 
tor. This consisted in cutting Peter's name in small letters, and 
hers in far larger ones ; thus defacing the worthy monument which 
the greatest woman of her time had erected to the greatest man of 
his. Such base adulation could only have excited disgust in her 



TEE STATUE OF PETER TEE GREAT. 179 

hio;h mind. It seems that, ao-ainst the treacherous and venomous 
shafts of flattery, the greatness of a man, of a woman, and even of a 
granite block, is but an insufficient shield. 

The same veneration for Peter prevails at the present day, as 
great in the Winter Palace as in the hut of the poorest Russian. 
The peasant contents himself with a little picture of him, before 
which he crosses himself, as before his saints; for the Emperor 
Nicholas, the statues already existing are not sufficient commemora- 
tion of his great ancestor's fame. The founder of St. Petersburg 
secured for himself immortality ; but the present Czar takes pleasure 
in raising new monuments, which may personify to remote genera- 
tions the memory of Peter and his descendant's gratitude. By his 
command there issued, in the year 1844, from the studio of the 
French sculptor Jaques, a fine statue, which now forms one of the 
chief ornaments of Cronstadt. It stands in the centre of a large open 
square hard by the port, and represents Peter in the dress he cus- 
tomarily wore, on foot, bareheaded, and in an attitude of reflection. 
The statue is colossal, full of expression, and the most characteristic 
of all those that I have had opportunity of seeing ; it is also, to the 
best of my belief, the only one which shows Peter on foot and in 
the costume of his time. It has been repeated in innumerable little 
bronze and plaster of Paris casts, plenty of which I have seen in 
Germany. The adoption of the dress of the period is a testimony 
to improved taste. For ideal figures let Grecian nudity be always 
selected ; for a portrait, resemblance and character are the main 
points : Frederick the Great represented, a la Louis XIV., in Roman 
armour and sandals, would be recognised by no Prussian as his 
adored " Old Fritz." A nation's heroes should be depicted with 
truth to nature and as they live in the people's memory. 

The inauguration of Peter's statue at Cronstadt was attended 
with great pomp and circumstance. The Emperor and the whole 
Court repaired thither from Peterhof; the shipping had their colours 
hoisted, the whole harbour swarmed with gaily-decorated steamers, 
sailing-boats, and row-boats, conveying passengers from Petersburg 
to the festival ; the river bank was covered with gay unif-rrms and 
elegantly attired women, and far away over the sea boomed the 
greeting of the cannon of the fortress, responded to by the guns of 



180 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

the men-of-war. A religious ceremony consecrated the festival, and 
the universal joy indicated that the emperor's homage to the memory 
of his great ancestor had awakened the sympathy of the whole 
population. In the evening the city was illuminated, and loud 
above the hum of the multitudes that thronged the streets resounded 
two names, dear to every Russian — the names of Peter and 
Nicholas. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE POPE. 



I HAD been on an excursion to Gatschina, and was about to get 
into my carriage to return to St. Petersburg, when I saw pass 
by a priest of about forty years of age. He was a handsome man, 
with an interesting physiognomy : what particularly struck me in 
his appearance was his profusion of hair. Anything so long and 
luxuriant as its growth I had never before seen, and I could not 
help gazing after him in wonder. The hair was of a chesnut-brown, 
naturally glossy, and fell waving in such abundance over his shoul- 
ders and down almost to his hips, that I could not but doubt 
whether it was all natural. I was still following him with my eyes, 
when he paused in front of an inn, looked back at me, and seemed 
uncertain which way to go. Suddenly he came to a decision, and 
approached me with a quick step. I delayed getting into the car- 
riage. When he was close to me he looked hard at me, and, seeing 
at once I was a foreigner, he addressed me in excellent English, ex- 
pressed his regret at having missed the diligence, and asked if by 
chance I was going to St. Petersburg. I replied in the affirmative, 
and offered him a place in my vehicle. He gratefully accepted, on 
condition that he should pay his share of the expense ; a few more 
words were exchanged and we entered the carriage. As lie had 
doubtless at once discovered from my broken English that he was 
mistaken as to my country, he now apologized for his error in ex- 
cellent French, and when I told him that he was again mistaken, 



THE POPE. 181 

and that I was a German, he continued the conversation in perfectly 
good German. With the exception of a slight accent, such as I 
was accustomed to in the Courland students at Leipsig, I observed 
nothing in the least foreign in his mode of expressing himself. I 
risked the supposition that he was half a countryman of mine, for 
I thought he was from the Baltic provinces, but learned, to my no 
small surprise, that he was from beyond Kasan. 

There are no places where acquaintance is more quickly made 
than at the card-table and on the road. I soon got intimate with 
my priest, who was genial and communicative, and old me many 
things which, out of discretion, I should not have dared to inquire. 
At first we were conversing on general subjects, when the expression 
vertrakt* escaped me. Without interrupting me he looked me 
steadfastly in the face, and seemed engrossed with something quite 
different from what I was talking about. When I ceased speaking, 
" Pasluschi" (my dear), he said, abruptly quitting the subject of 
the previous conversation, "pray repeat that word vertrakt/" 

I repeated it, and asked what there was in it that struck him ? 

" I do not know the meaning of that word," he replied, " and 
only conjecture it from the connection of what you say ; but I have 
heard the word once before in my life, and then, if I do not mistake, 
from your mouth. The tone of your voice struck me at once ; I 
have heard you speak before to-day." 

As I could not remember to have ever before met him, I named 
those places I was most accustomed to frequent. 

" No, no ! " he said, " not there ! " 

He again looked hard at me, and slowly repeated the word ver- 
trakt. 

" Pasluschi ! " he suddenly exclaimed, " tell me, do you know 
the bookseller Curth or Leibrock?" 

" Yes," replied I, " in the JSTewsky." 

Thereupon he told me the day on which he had seen me there, 
heard me speak, and had his attention attracted by the word ver- 
trakt. This opened the way to a fresh subject of conversation ; 
from Leibrock, the bookseller, to literature, the transition was not 

* Signifying odd, strcmge. It has other meanings, and is somewhat of a 
3ant term. 



182 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

very -wide ; but, the Rubicon once passed, how was it to be recross- 
ed ? and on the fields beyond it I did not feel altogther at my ease, 
for it is tolerably long since I made acquaintance with the Fathers 
of the Church, and it was no easy matter for me to recall them to 
my memory. But my embarrassment was of no long duration ; 
my pope soon released me from it. With the acute perception of 
a connoisseur he quickly detected that I was not at home on this 
field, and led me to one more familiar to me ; for to him no subject 
was untrodden ground. He spoke of politics, belles-lettres, journal- 
ism; and my surprise rose into astonishment when he introduced 
Tieck, Borne, and Heine into the conversation. Yes, still more than 
that, he was acquainted with George Sand's writings, and knew 
that she is Madame Dudevant. I did not conceal my astonishment. 

" It surprises you," he said, " to meet with a Greek-Catholic 
priest to whom such worldly matters are not unfamiliar. Pasluschi ! 
the surest road to'heaven leads across the earth, and if at times one 
soils one's shoe-soles, then it is that one feels the most ardent desire 
for the wings that should bear him heavenwards. Man's best and 
highest study is that of man himself, and believe me that one often 
acquires a better knowledge of one's cotemporaries from a bad ro- 
mance than from all the police-registers in the country." 

" A bad romance," I replied, " signifies nothing : that which is 
but little read can afford no standard by which to form a judg- 
ment." 

" Think you so ? " said he, " I must disagree with you ; the bad 
ones are those which are most read ; as to the good ones, a great 
many people say they have read them who have never looked at 
them. But the bad ones are devoured, and it is not by the author, 
but by his readers, that I estimate the taste, the cultivation, and the 
morality of the people. Unhappily the readers of the present day 
exact neither depth nor truth ; glitter is what they will have — 
glitter and that which dazzles ! that is offered to them ; that is 
what authors provide and readers greedily devour, and therefore are 
neither worth anything. Look at Eugene Sue's last work, as yet 
but half published ; I have seen it only in the feuilleton of the 
Debats, but I would wager that, when the thing is complete, the 
publisher will sell a hundred thousand copies." 



THE POPE- 183 

" The thing ! Do you then think the work so bad ? " 

" Bad ? No ! that is not the word ; it is a sort of stuff for 
which I have no name ready; lend me your "vertrakt :" judging 
from the manner in which I heard you apply it, that is, perhaps, 
the word that best expresses my view. Such a work, which glitters, 
but with false stones ; which shines, but only from rottenness, like 
decayed wood ; which is pleasing to the palate, but mortally poison- 
ous ; such a vertraktes (diabolical) work, which, under the mask of 
morality, corrupts all morals, plainly shows that the reading world 
is pretty well corrupted already, for otherwise no author would dare 
to write it." 

" You will at any rate admit that the romance of the Mysteres 
de Paris is based upon deeply moral views, and that it is the au- 
thor's aim to lead us through vice to virtue." 

"Oh yes, so long as we do not remain sticking in vice by 
the way. He first poisons us, and then hands us the chemical 
analysis of the poison; of which, however, we have then no need, 
since the pain in our vitals tells us, without the aid of science, the 
nature of the drug. Every work is immoral which irritates the 
senses by luxurious pictures, and repulsive when it then essays to 
cool them again by a flood of terror and disgust. Hypocrisy is at 
the bottom of the whole, or, at least, silly pretension and bragga- 
docio. What business have these plans for the improvement of the 
world in the pages of romance ? Romances have only to do with 
the state of the mind — with the inward man, in short; the descrip- 
tion of his external circumstances should be subservient to the end 
of developing and explaining the motives and condition of his 
mind. But here just the contrary is done ; a phantasmagoria is 
shown us which is intended as a representation of certain conditions 
of the human mind, when, in fact, it is nothing but a series of silly 
plans for social reform, based upon theories still more absurd. 
What business has all this nonsense about cellular prisons, coalitions 
of workmen, and other socialist stuff, in a romance, from whose 
volumes assuredly no statesman will think of gaining wisdom ? If 
the author puts forward these views seriously, if they are founded 
upon real knowledge of the subject, and upon deep reflection, let 
him devote to them a serious and conclusive work ; but let him not 



1 8 4 PICTURES FR OM ST. PETER SB UR G. 

stand up in the market-place and turn the heads of the mob by the 
propagation of half-digested theories, which the people, from selfish 
motives and want of judgment, will be much more prone practical- 
ly to experimentalize than theoretically to investigate. And then, 
as to the style of such books ! this mirror of a sensual exaltation 
stimulated almost to madness ; this flowery patchwork, in which 
not one spark of truth is to be detected ! I find it perfectly de- 
testable. Montesquieu says, ' Le style Jest Vhomme /' If that be 
true, then do I greatly pity the French, for that style is an insane 
style, and all France is striving to make it its own." 

The carriage stopped, and we alighted and went in to supper. 
Rarely have I been more surprised than I was to hear such dis- 
course as this from the mouth of a Russian pope. 

The inn at which we had alighted was of comfortable aspect. 
It was built after the fashion of our little Swiss houses ; to the left it 
looked out upon a spacious court-yard, and was enclosed to the right 
by a tolerably extensive hedge, which suggested the idea of a 
pleasant garden. A neat, cleanly-dressed girl, about fifteen years 
old, received us at the door ; as soon as she saw the priest, she ran 
up to him and held out her hand in a friendly manner, as to an old 
acquaintance ; then she conducted us into the strangers' room, on 
the first floor. The stairs were very clean ; the room we entered 
was not less so. Its walls were hung round with pictures of saints, 
some painted, others merely drawn. Some landscapes were also 
there ; but only a very few were framed. The whole furniture con- 
sisted of a table, some wooden chairs, a mahogany press, and a 
large mirror, which hung between the two windows, below a por- 
trait of the Emperor. My companion walked straight to the mir- 
ror, took a comb and brush from his pocket, and began to arrange 
his hair. " Excuse me," he said, " but we shall not reach St. Pe- 
tersburg till very late, or rather very early, and I must not neg- 
lect my head-dress." I turned away, and busied myself looking at 
the pictures. There was no lack of bad drawing, but the colouring 
was lively, and the choice of tints showed taste. The landscapes, 
with their bold masses of foliage, their waterfalls and fields of ice, 
indicated a vivid appreciation and strict observation of nature. As 
works of art, however, none of them were of any value. 



TEE POPE. 135 

When I again turned to my companion, he had tightly bound 
up hi3 thick mass of hair and twisted it round his head, and was in 
the act of pulling a small cap over it. Remarking my surprise at 
this singular head-dress for a man, he said good humouredly, "You 
will doubtless laugh at me, but I share this vanity with all my 
brotherhood : this is the only earthly ornament that we are per- 
mitted to wear, and by its abundance we compensate ourselves for 
all other privations in that respect." 

" Indeed," I replied, "the remarkable growth of the hair of the 
Russian priesthood has often astonished me." 

" There is nothing wonderful it it," said he ; " anybody who de- 
voted as much care and attention to his hair would attain the same 
end. As you now see, we every evening plait our hair as 
tight as possible, and braid it close round the head, and in the 
morning we comb and brush it for a long time, and with the utmost 
care; that promotes its growth, makes it flexible and soft, and 
causes it to flow down in light waves. But certainly it is not 
every body who has sufficient patience and perseverance. Allow 
me !" 

He took my hand and laid it upon the plaits of his hair. They 
were firm and hard as ropes. Smiling, he again drew his cap over 
them. 

Meanwhile, the hostess entered the room ; — a woman some- 
what over thirty, rather thin, with pallid, sunken features, but hav- 
ing in her bearing a certain decent grace and natural dignity. Her 
clothes were of country fashion, but very neat and cleanly. With- 
out heeding me, she hastened to the priest, who embraced her, 
kissed her on the brow, and laid his hand gently upon her head. 
They conversed together with much animation ; but all that I un- 
derstood of their conversation was the oft-recurring " Pasluschi," 
the term by which the Russians usually address each other. I re- 
turned to the examination of the pictures. 

When the hostess had left us, I fixed my eyes upon the priest. 
He seemed discomposed. To begin a conversation, I spoke of the 
pictures. 

"They appear to be all by the same hand, I said, "and, al- 
though deficient in artistic skill, they show unmistakable talent." 



186 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

" So it is," said the pope, with a bitter smile ; " they furnish a 
remarkable document in relation to the usages of our times." 

" How so ?" I inquired, struck by his manner. 

" It is a ' vertrakte 1 history," he replied ; " but here, in this 
close, dark room, I cannot speak of it. Let us go down into the 
garden ; if you please, we can take our sakusko there." 

At the top of the stairs we met the little girl who had received 
us at the inn door. She was bringing up the samovar ; but now 
she turned back, and carried it into the garden, which she placed 
on a table, in a snug arbour ; went away and presently returned 
with cheese, ham, and fruit. 

" We shall not be able to stay here long," said my companion, 
as he prepared the sckei (tea) ; the sky is heavy with clouds, and a 
storm seems coming on." 

" You were about to explain to me," I said 

" Permit me first to drink a glass of schei" replied he ; " to re- 
call those sad memories in words would assuredly drive away my 
appetite." 

He poured out the tea, filled the glass, cut a slice of lemon, 
added two spoonsful of rum, and presented it to me. Then he 
prepared a similar mixture for himself, tasted it, gradually emptied 
the glass, and resumed our previous subject of discourse. 

" I know not," he said, " how far you, as a foreigner, are fa- 
miliar with the laws, customs, and usages of our country. Should 
you be unacquainted with them, I should regret displaying them to 
you upon their most unfavorable side." 

"We are all, in our degree, dependent on the supreme power 
in the State. In the higher classes, this despotism is veiled, partly 
by community of interest, partly by delicacy of form. It be- 
comes less endurable in proportion as it descends through the in- 
ferior grades of the population, and attains the highest pitch of 
oppression in the lowest degree of the nation, in the relation of the 
serfs to their masters. There it prevails in a double form. Two 
things are equally to be dreaded by the serf, — namely, the love of 
cruelty and the cruelty of love. The first is the common lot of all 
slaves ; they are treated slightly, and with contempt ; they occupy 
the first place amongst domestic animals, their superiority to which 



TEE SERF'S STORY. 187 

secures them no other privilege than that of being usually the first 
on whom the master's ill-humour vents itself. This, however, is the 
least unbearable condition of their existence. Knowing nothing bet- 
ter from the cradle to the grave, the old saying that ' custom is 
second nature' applies to them in all its beneficent force. The blind 
man is not annoyed by the glare of the sun ; the insensible man feels 
no pain ; true, that the former cannot enjoy the cheering radiance of 
the luminary, nor the latter experience the vivifying emotions of 
joy. But a slave must have neither eyes nor heart; for were they 
opened, how long would he be a slave ? Therefore^ d.oes the love 
of cruelty maintain him in his brutalized state. That may be 
bearable ! but the other thing — the cruelty of love — is not so. This 
latter shows itself in Russia in a form which, in your country and 
all other countries, so far as I have become acquainted with them 
by study, is not only unknown, but undreamed of." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



THE SERF'S STORY. 



" rpHE Russian, Sir," continued my companion " (and, believe me, 
JL I am inspired by no false patriotism ; for I cannot love my 
country when its ' vertroMe ' laws have destroyed the whole happi- 
ness of my life), the Russian has the softest and tenderest heart of 
any in the world. Even you, who are a foreigner, may easily judge 
of that by his extraordinary affection for children, an affection un- 
paralleled in any other country. Now, he who loves children has 
assuredly a tender and impressionable nature. But the misfortune 
here is that children do not for ever remain children. With their 
childhood disappears the love they have inspired, and the child who 
has been brought up by strangers as their own, lulled in a dream 
of security and affection, suddenly awakes, with all the feelings of 
manhood, and with a strong sense of its rights, to find himself a 
slave, a serf, degraded to the condition of a brute, and ten times 
more miserable than those of his class who, brutalized from their 
cradle upwards, have never known the worth and dignity of man. 



188 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

" This ' cruelty of love ' frequently leads Russians of high family 
to take into their family, as so-called adopted children, unfortunate 
little creatures who have been so unfortunate as to attract their at- 
tention and rouse a fleeting interest. Their mode of adoption is this : 
they impose upon the infant all the duties of a child to its parents, 
without conceding to it in return any of the claims which such re- 
lationship would give it. They load it with the kindness, the love, 
the care of real parents, and bring it up as their own child, so long 
as a child it remains. From the day that their real condition is 
disclosed to such children, their future fate constantly impends over 
them, like the sword of Damocles, suspended by the silken thread 
of their master's caprice, which at any moment may annihilate them, 
or, which is still worse, cripple them for life. 

" Such is the lot of those whose misfortune it is to awaken a 
master's cruel and capricious affection ; — such was my terrible lot." 

Visibly a prey to deep emotion, the priest paused for a moment, 
pressed his hand upon his forehead, and then, in calm and self-pos- 
sessed tones, continued his narrative. 

" My father was a serf, the son of a farmer on an estate near 
Kasan, and was permitted by the count, his master, to take service 
in the town, upon paying a yearly abroh or fine, in lieu of the labour 
he was bound to perform. He obtained employment in the house- 
hold of a rich goldsmith, and there occupied his leisure in drawing, 
for which he had a natural taste. One day he surprised his em- 
ployer by the exhibition of a beautiful arabesque design. The gold- 
smith, struck by his ability, released him from his menial duties, 
and took him as a pupil into his workshop, where his talent, backed 
by unwearying assiduity, soon converted the dull peasant into a 
highly skilled artist. 

" He had reached his five and twentieth year, when his constant 
intercourse with his master's daughter, a charming girl of eighteen, 
resulted in an ardent mutual attachment. He asked her hand of 
her father, who, not unnaturally, annexed to his consent the one 
condition, that the serf should become a freeman. This condition 
could not be complied with. The count obstinately refused to libe- 
rate his vassal ; all that entreaty could wring from him was the 
promise that, without absolute necessity, he would not withdraw him 



THE SERF'S STORY. 189 

from the town. This did not satisfy the old goldsmith : but he could 
not long resist his daughter's tears, and the lovers were united. A 
year of perfect happiness flew rapidly by ; then came the war with 
France ; my father's younger brother was taken for military service, 
his father died, and he himself was summoned by his owner to 
manage the now deserted farm. On his brother's return from the 
army he was to be at liberty to go back to Kasan. But his brother 
never returned, and the poor artist, the cunning worker in gold and 
silver, was condemned to follow the plough, whilst his freeoorn wife 
sat beneath a serf's roof, nursing me, her infant son. In their sadly 
altered circumstances, I was my parents' only consolation. My mo- 
ther's love and care delighted to adorn her 'jewel,' as she called me, 
with all the finery to which she had been used in her father's house. 
She passed her time in dressing and decorating me ; and the fame 
of my beauty spread through the hamlet till it reached the ears of 
the countess, who desired to see me. My proud poor mother decked 
me out like a lamb for the sacrifice, and took me to the castle. The 
countess, who was passionately fond of children, found me charm- 
ing, and declared her intention to do my parents the honour of 
adopting me. In vain my mother wept, implored, and raved in de- 
spair at the prospect of losing her son. I remained crying upon the 
countess's lap, my mother was forcibly turned out of the castle. 
Proud and happy had she entered it ; fumble, despairing, and with 
death in her heart, she turned her back upon its walls. 

" I soon forgot what I had never properly known. My earliest 
recollections are of brilliant saloons, fine pictures, rich clothes, and 
of the room-full of playthings which engrossed my infantine atten- 
tion. My foster-mother's affection richly compensated me for the 
love of those to whom I owed my being. Her husband I never 
knew. He died soon after my adoption, leaving two sons, one of 
whom was three years older than myself, the other one year my 
junior, and a daughter, twin sister of the youngest boy. With these, 
and with two adopted daughters, I grew up on a footing of perfect 
equality, receiving the same education, sharing all their sports and 
pleasures, until I attained my fifteenth year. At that period the 
countess's eldest son fell dangerously ill, and the physicians gave 
him up as lost. Then his despairing mother threw herself upon 



190 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

his body, and made a vow to all the saints, that if he recovered she 
would devote her adopted children to the church. He did recover, 
and upon the day that he rose from his sick bed, we unfortunate 
victims were informed of our future lot. The two girls were sent to 
a convent; the elder of the two submitted to take the veil: the 
younger, Julinka, so obstinately refused it, that the hegumena (supe- 
rior of the convent) sent her back to the countess. Furious at her 
refusal, the countess bestowed her in marriage upon a former game- 
keeper, a somewhat dissolute fellow, who received leave of absence, 
on abrok, and took his young wife with him to Moscow. Thence, 
several years later, he went to St. Petersburg, and for a long time I 
heard nothing whatever concerning them. 

" I had no taste for the priesthood ; but what choice had I ? A 
serf, and the son of a serf, obedience was my only passport to free- 
dom. By consenting to take the vow, I at least secured my eman- 
cipation, for no serf can be a priest in Russia ; so I yielded, and was 
sent to the Archimandrite at Kasan. I entered the convent with 
repugnance ; only the fear of slavery could have driven me into it. 
Once there, however, I devoted myself ardently to study, and the 
pursuit of learning soon reconciled me to the profession thus forcibly 
imposed upon me. My zeal attracted the attention of my superiors ; 
several learned monks admitted me to their society, and vouchsafed 
me their instruction. Unbounded as is the ignorance, superstition, 
and fanaticism of the great mass of rural popes, it is common to 
find iu our convents a wonderful amount of learning, comprehend- 
ing almost all branches of human knowledge. Amongst other in- 
mates of the convent, which had become my prison, were two very 
learned monks from the Ukraine, a province which has always been 
noted as sending forth the best ministers of religion : even as, at 
the present time, it supplies Russia with the best singers and musi- 
cians. To the paternal affection of those two monks I am indebted 
for my education. I was ordained, and some time afterwards I was 
sent to Moscow. A few years ago I was summoned to the priests' 
seminary at St. Petersburg. After my installation there, I made an 
excursion, in order to become acquainted with the environs, and 
paused here, as we have done to-day, on my return from Gatschiha. 
I was strangely moved at the sight of these pictures, some of which 



TEE SERF'S STORY. 191 

represent scenes well known to my childhood ; but how should I 
describe my astonishment at sight of the hostess, who entered the 
room to attend on me? Lapse of years, change of garb and con- 
dition, care and misery, had sadly altered her — not so altered her, 
however, as to prevent my recognising the playmate of my youth. 
With surprise and emotion I uttered the name, ' Julinka ! ' She 
looked up, gazed at me for a moment, and with a cry of delight 
threw herself into my arms." 

That meeting with her adopted brother was Julinka's first mo- 
ment of happiness for many years. Her husband had rented the 
tavern on the road to Gatschina, and passed his life hunting and 
drinking. She led a dull existence, occupied only by the routine of 
an inkeeper's business; her leisure hours she devoted to giving her 
daughter the best education she could, and at times, with her brushes 
and palette, she contrived to transport herself in imagination to the 
happier days of her youth. " Yonder pictures," she said, " are all 
unskilfully enough executed ; but I do not paint because I will, but 
because I must ; it is the last relic of my childhood. In God's good 
time there will be an end to all this ; and when that day comes," 
she said to the priest, " I recommend Astafja to thy care." 

Tears choked her utterance. I was deeply moved. 

A dazzling flash of lightning illuminated the arbour, quickly 
succeeded by a violent thunder clap. The young girl came running 
out to us. 

" Mother begs you to go in doors to supper," she said ; " and 
quickly, for a terrible storm is coming on." 

The pope arose from his seat, took my hand, and pressed it. 

"May you find a good appetite for supper;" said he, "our 
sakusho has been melancholy enough." 



192 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

STORM AND WHIRLWIND. 

TT7"E entered the house just in time. A strong north wind 
» » whistled through the trees, and the rain fell in large drops. 
Flash succeeded flash, and one thunder-clap was heard before the 
echoes of its forerunner had died away. The innkeeper's daughter 
brought us some warm soup, which was very acceptable, for to the 
ardent heat of the day a sharp autumnal cold had suddenly suc- 
ceeded. Whilst we sat down to table, the little girl lit a fire, whose 
blaze cheerily illuminated the room, already getting dark. 

"The gentlemen," said she, in broken German, " will surely be 
obliged to pass the night here. It is getting a real Samjots. 
Were it but two months later, God help the travellers who should 
be out in it." 

I asked my travelling companion the meaning of the word 
Samjots, which I had never before heard. 

" The Russians," he replied, " divide storms into three classes. 
The least violent of these you to-day witness ; it is called the 
Miatjel. As far as I can judge from what I have read on the sub- 
ject, you are liable in Germany to weather as violent as this. The 
second, and severer sort of storm, occurs more rarely, and always in 
autumn or winter ; it is the samjots : it is certainly dangerous ; and 
woe-betide the traveller who finds himself exposed to its fury on an 
open country road. Escape from it is out of the question. The 
driving shower of snow renders it an impossibility to keep the eyes 
open, and no horse will advance a step, flog and spur as you may. 
The best and only possible means of safety is to throw yourself flat 
on the ground, and let yourself be snowed over, especially if you 
can reach the shelter of some little elevation which prevents the 
wind from getting a hold of you ; otherwise it takes you up with 
irresistible force, and whirls you like a feather in the air." 

" Gracious heavens !" I exclaimed, " what a climate ! and is one 
often exposed in this country to such agreeable surprises ?" 

" Less here," was the reply, " than in Eastern Russia : but the 



STORM AND WHIRLWIND. 19 



o 



Samjots, terrible though it be, is a mere shadow of the Winga : the 
former it is 2wssible to survive : in a house you are tolerably secure 
from its effects ; by tying yourself to a tree you may weather it with 
life : a large number of men or beasts travelling together, a caravan 
or barricade of vehicles sometimes withstands it. But nothing with- 
stands the Winga." 

" In heaven's name," cried I, " what then is the Winga ?" 
" A prelude to the Last Day," answered the priest. " Fortu- 
nately, unmistakable indications announce its coming for some da} s 
beforehand. Then nobody sets out upon a journey, not even to the 
next village, though it be but a verst or two off. Precautions are 
taken for the safety of the house, by protecting it, on the north side 
with heavy stones, and by propping it up, as well as barns and 
stables, on the south side. The tabunen (troops of wild horses) 
scamper in all haste to the nearest forest ; droves of cattle and flocks 
of sheep seek shelter wherever it is to be found. Whatever the 
storm overtakes upon the open plain, man or beast, caravans drawn 
by oxen, or caravans drawn by horses, is lost without a chance of 
rescue. 

" An icy shower of snow is the forerunner of the terrible blast ; 
it falls so thick, and drives so. horizontally through the air, that to 
withstand it is impossible, whilst it avails little to suffer one's-self to 
be driven before it. For if one escapes for awhile this prelude to 
the hurricane, one is infallibly overtaken by the formidable blasts 
and circling whirlwinds which succeed it, and which gather up from 
the earth, like chaff from the threshing floor, the objects exposed to 
their violence, and hurl them to and fro in the air. And yet the 
rage of the unfettered element is not here at its height ; for when 
the storm seems to have exhausted its fury in the manner I have 
described — often raging thus during a period of several days — then 
first begins the real tempest, a blast which nothing can resist. It 
uproots whole forests, tosses the loftiest fir trees into the air like 
blades of straw, and often conveys them, high above the earth, 
whole versts away. It levels stables and barns, unroofs houses, and 
throws down church towers, so that the district it has visited looks, 
after its destructive passage, and for distances of several days' jour- 
ney, like a land ravaged by fire and sword, On all sides are seen, 



194 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

herds of dead cattle, trees uprooted, villages overthrown. In ex- 
posed situations, this wind has been known to tear up isolated 
stables, to transport through the air their fragments and the cattle 
they contained, and far, far from the spot, to hurl these down shat- 
tered upon fields and roofs. With varying fury the monster rages 
for some days, leaving behind him, on his departure, death, destruc- 
tion, and lamentations. Happily he comes but seldom ; his visits 
are not for every generation : but when he does come, 8,11 that his 
icy breath touches is devoted to annihilation. 

" That is the Russian Winga /" 

I looked with astonishment at the speaker, and doubtless my 
looks betrayed my incredulity. 

" I comprehend your doubts," he said. " You are born in a 
climate in which the wonders of ours sound like fables fit for chil- 
dren, and I cannot be surprised at your want of faith : I myself, to 
whom the natural phenomena of our zone are more familiar, held 
the account I had heard of the Winga to be a mere tradition, until 
personal experience convinced me that it was within the limits of 
possibility. On a journey from Kasan to Azov, I encountered a 
storm which I should unhesitatingly set down as the Winga, had I 
not been assured by better informed persons that I had experienced 
only the Samjots ; but from the frightful power with which it raged, 
I could in some decree estimate the irresistible miarht to which the 
element attains when it comes forth in the character of the Wing-a." 

I begged the priest to give me a brief description of the storm he 
had encountered. 

" It is now twelve years ago," he said, " that the Archimandrite 
of Kasan purchased some old manuscripts from an antiquary at 
Nischni Nowgorod. The antiquary had bought them at one of the 
great fairs, of which three are annually held at Taganrog, from a 
Persian who habitually attended those fairs. As the manuscripts 
were found, upon minute examination, to be of importance, I was 
sent to Azov to the next fair, which was to take place at the end of 
October. The Persian, we had ascertained, was in the habit of ar- 
riving at Azov some time before the commencement of the fair, and 
thence, after transacting business, he proceeded to Taganrog, which 
is only seven and twenty versts (about eighteen English miles) from 



STOEM AND WHIRLWIND. 195 

Azov. I joined a caravan bound for Taganrog, and reached that 
port without accident or adventure. The next morning I ascended 
to the citadel, to contemplate that remarkable district. It was a 
beautiful autumn day, and the strong east wind, steadily blowing, 
had wrought one of those marvels which it taxes your faith to be- 
lieve. Taganrog, situated on the sea, now looked over a dry basin ; 
the east wind had driven the sea miles backward, so that the same 
afternoon we drove across the bed of the waters to Azov, performing 
the distance in two hours, and, as once the Jews through the Red 
Sea, reaching the opposite shore dryfoot. From a distance the 
aspect of the town was imposing enough ; but on nearer approach, 
the illusion was soon dissipated. Half-ruined fortifications, enclosing 
houses of a very poor description, compose this town, which enjoys 
so great a reputation. Only to its position, and to its importance as 
a strategical point, is it indebted for a certain degree of considera- 
tion, which is greatly impaired on sight of the place. Next to the 
remains of the Turkish walls, the most interesting object is an old 
rampart beyond the river, which Peter the Great threw up at the 
time of the siege. 

" At Azov I put up at the place that had been pointed out to 
me, and, to my no small joy, the Persian merchant from Teheran 
not only made his appearance at the time he was expected, but 
brought with him several Persian books and manuscripts, to the ex- 
amination of which I immediately and zealously applied myself. 
The study of these time-stained parchments did not, however, pre- 
vent me from keeping an observant eye on what was passing around 
me, and thus I often visited Taganrog, when the fair there was in 
full activity. This fair was protracted by the persevering east wind, 
which prevented ships from coming in ; and twice more did I cross 
the bed of the sea in a britschka drawn by two little horses. The 
last time, however, we narrowly escaped with our lives, and only in 
consequence of the almost incredible swiftness of our horses. We 
still had six or eight versts to get over before reaching the shore, 
when the wind suddenly chopped round and drove the water with 
such power and rapidity into the bay that many vehicles which 
could not get away fast enough were overtaken by the flood, and, 
although boats hastened to the rescue, several persons were drowned. 



196 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

On the afternoon of the same day thousands of vessels came run- 
ning in with sails spread, covering the sea as far as the eye could 
reach. I never saw a more impressive scene. Now the bustle in 
the streets wonderfully increased. Even in Nijni-Nowgorod, whose 
fair is the most celebrated in the world, I never saw such a congre- 
gation of human beings. Russian and French, Hungarians and 
Greeks, English and Tartars, Swedes and Cossacks, Italians and 
Armenians, were mingled in motley multitudes ; Calmucks, too, 
were seen roaming through the streets, hanging like drunken men 
upon their horses, and followed by their wives — also on horseback, 
and better mounted and far better riders than their husbands. On 
an immense open square where unloaded waggons, from the 
Ukraine alone, were collected together, I counted, one afternoon, 
upwards of 5000 vehicles. To these were to be added several 
thousand ships, busily loading and unloading, and some hundreds 
of smaller craft, which came across the Black Sea from Sinope and 
Trebisond, laden with preserved grapes, spikenard, and with a sort 
of syrup called beckmiss, prepared from various fruits boiled with 
honey. I also witnessed the landing of innumerable casks of dried 
grapes, out of which is made excellent brandy. The traffic which 
here goes on in precious stones, shawls, silk stuffs, wine, fruit, grain 
furs, linen, tobacco, iron, hemp, &c, is inconceivably great. I was 
surprised to find that the enormous masses of copper which came 
over from Trebisond were destined almost exclusivelv for Moscow 
and that the mountains of sea-fish which the sea of Azov yields 
were all sent to Southern Russia, that is to say northwards from 
Taganrog. 

" More than once I was overtaken by darkness on my visits to 
Taganrog, and forced to pass the night there. On these occasions 
I was indebted for a bed to the kindness of my Persian friend, who 
gave me one in his lodging, for the town was crammed and not a 
nook to be had. During the fair, rents are so high that my host 
paid for that short period of time, for a very modest dwelling, 500 
paper rubles (about 201. sterling). If we call to mind, however, 
that the trade, and the consequent affluence of people, extends 
over but three months in the whole year, we cannot much wonder 



STOBM AND WHIRL WIND. 197 

at the clearness of lodgings and provisions, of which latter there 
was no scarcity. 

" The fair was over, and I had completed my hasty examina- 
tion of books and manuscripts. Selecting what appeared to me 
the most desirable amongst them, I soon made my bargain with 
the Persian. The well-packed box was delivered to a commercial 
caravan starting for Moscow, and I attached myself to a lighter one, 
the vehicles composing which were drawn by horses, and which was 
bound for Orenburg by way of Saratow. 

" It was at the commencement of the second week in Novem- 
ber that we started from Taganrog, on a fine mild autumn day, 
passed the Don at JSTowo-Tscherkask, and safely reached Sarepta. 
Here we crossed the Wolga and continued our rapid and cheerful 
journey in the neighbourhood of that river, when, on the third day, 
at about ten o'clock in the forenoon, the sky became so dark that we 
could scarcely see rifle-shot distance before us. At the same time 
the wind changed, and a cutting north-easter met us. This had 
not lasted long when there fell a thick shower of snow, a cutting 
blast whistled round the horses, the road was no longer visible, and 
the utmost consternation seized the whole caravan. We shouted to 
each other, but, owing to the howling of the storm, not a word 
could be heard. At last the foremost halted ; we drew up in two 
ranks, assembled, and took counsel. It was decided to remain for a 
while upon that spot and quietly to await the conclusion of the 
storm. 

" ' Such a miatjel as this/ said one of the travellers, * it was 
never my lot to witness.' 

" ' If it were nothing worse than that,' said an old groom who 
held his horses' reins with a trembling grasp ; ' but I fear, I great- 
ly fear, that it is the samjots? 

" ' What next !' cried some of the travellers, whilst others grew 
pale at the words; 'the samjots gives warning of its coming 
several days beforehand.' 

" ' Not always,' replied the man ; i and, besides, who knows 
whether it has not already given such notice hereabouts ? We 
come from afar. May the Holy Mother of Kasan protect us !' 

" He crossed himself, and turned away to his horses. Mean- 



198 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

while, the storm continued to rage, but the snow diminished a little, 
and we endeavoured to proceed on our way, now most laborious. 
We could see no road, nor tell where we were ; nor could we even 
guide ourselves by the wind, which changed every moment, scaring 
and dispersing the caravan. We had gone a league, perhaps, in 
this manner, when we thought we saw huts in the distance. We 
approached them, and were already within a hundred paces of the 
place, which appeared to be a village, when there arose upon the 
sudden so awful a tempest, combined with continuous whirlwinds, 
and with driving clouds of snow, that we were literally unable to 
open our eyes. The peasant who was driving us threw the reins t n 
his horse's neck, crept into the britschka to us, and drew his sheep- 
skin over his eyes. My travelling companion and I had long done 
the same thing ; and in this manner, holding fast by the sides of 
the vehicle, in order not to be carried away by the storm, we aban- 
doned ourselves to our fate, and were driven whithersoever the wind 
pleased. Before long, I felt a violent shock — the carriage was 
overturned ; apparently we had fallen into a ditch. I was about to 
rise, when the peasant clutched my caftan, which the storm was al- 
ready seizing, and dragged me and my other fellow-sufferer down 
into the ditch. Here we were in some degree sheltered from the 
wind. We laid ourselves as close together as we could, and drew 
our caftans over our heads. The storm raged furiously, and the 
cold was so bitter that I feared to be frozen to death. This sensa- 
tion did not, however, last long ; the cold that stiffened my limbs 
gradually diminished, and was at last replaced by an agreeable 
warmth which pervaded my whole frame. Thus I lay, in a state 
of semi-unconsciousness, and at last it seemed to me that I was in 
bed, in a well-heated room, and heard without the surging of the 
ocean, or the distant howling of a storm. Soon my senses entirely 
left me, and I sank into a deep sleep. 

" I was awakened by footsteps upon my body. Still half- 
asleep, I raised myself up, and would have thrown the covers from 
off my head ; but my hands passed through them, and I was not 
quit of my covering. Help now came from without ; two hands 
seized my arm ; I stood up with difficulty, and gradually crept from 
under the snow blanket, a foot thick, which lay over me. Little 



THE MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS. 199 

by little, consciousness returned ; I remembered what bad passed, 
and recognised my travelling-companions, who stood beside me in 
great good-humour, and with them two Calmucks, who, happening 
to pass by, had observed the horses and the overturned carriage, 
and easily conjectured what had taken place. They had searched 
the ditch, and at last had awakened its occupants out of their 
Bweet sleep, by treading upon them. It was already dark. We 
had passed about four-and-twenty hours in this most primitive bed. 
Saved we were ; but what was now to be done ? The carriage 
was broken ; the horses lay powerless upon the ground. My com- 
panion, a merchant from Saratow, was fortunately quite compeleLt 
to converse with the Calmucks. He had had much intercourse and 
various commercial transactions with that people, and advised me 
to throw myself, without hesitation or apprehension, upon the hos- 
pitality of the horde, whose camp was near at hand. So we set to 
work, and got the horses on their legs, and the britschka in mo- 
tion, as well as we could, and followed our silent guide to the Cal- 
muck tents. 

" That was the end of our perilous adventure ; and now you 
have some idea of what the samjots is." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS. 



THE storm had ceased, the moon had emerged from behind the 
clouds, and our driver summoned us to continue our journey. 
We took leave of our interesting hostess, and got into the carriage. 
I begged my friendly companion to narrate to me the sequel of his 
journey, and to tell me something of what he saw during his stay 
with the Calmucks — they being a people who, to our imaginations, 
are shrouded in a sort of semi-fabulous obscurity. 

" 'Willingly would I do so," he replied ; "and as I was obliged 
to pass several days amongst them, and availed myself of that time 
to investigate their customs, manners, and state of mental cultiva- 



200 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

tion, I should be able to tell you mucb about them which would 
certainly astonish you, disposed as you are to consider them a sort 
of half-fabulous race. If, however, you seriously desire to get some 
insight into the pursuits and poetry of that singular race of men, 
you have only to honour me with a visit : my journal shall be open 
to you ; and I flatter myself that many of its pages will be so for- 
tunate as to excite your interest and sympathy." 

" I gladly accept your invitation," I replied, " and should greatly 
value it, even though there were no journal in the case. That there 
is one, however, makes me doubly prize your kind offer, for I am 
most curious to know more of the Calmucks and their pursuits. 
As to their poetry, I willingly dispense with hearing anything about 
it." 

" Do not laugh at it," answered the pope, " it is that very por- 
tion of my account of the Calmucks that will most excite your sur- 
prise and wonder. The Calmucks have no regular literature, but 
they have religious books and collections of laws ; they have their 
written history, albeit somewhat irregular, and their poetry is not 
so poor as you think." 

" Poetry !" I cried in astonishment ; " Calmuck poetry ? " 

"Certainly," he replied, "and a highly original and natural 
poetry, in which are often to be detected flights of fancy, a depth 
of feeling, and a pregnancy of thought, which I sadly miss in many 
of the much-belauded modern poets of nations who boast themselves 
to be on the pinnacle of civilization." 

" Calmuck poetry ! " I repeated, too much surprised to get be- 
yond those two words. 

" Certainly," he continued, " only you must not expect fine 
modern works, elegantly got up and illustrated. The poetical effu- 
sions of this nomadic race are of a purely rhapsodical nature. They 
have their minstrels, like the Scots of old ; and if their songs are 
inferior in delicacy and elegance to those of the Provencal trouba- 
dours, you will perhaps find some compensation in their expression 
of thorough nationality, and in the fresh outpouring of a completely 
inartificial nature. I had opportunities of hearing them sing many 
such songs. With the assistance of my travelling companion I 
translated them into my native tongue ; and if it would really in- 



THE MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS. 201 

terest you, I would with pleasure translate for you into German 
those chapters of my journal which relate to the Calmucks. You 
must make allowances for my unpractised pen, and if you call upon 
me in a week's time you may expect to find the Calmuck poetry 
ready. And, after making better acquaintance with my former 
hospitable hosts, I hope to hear you heartily ask pardon for your 
incredulity." 

" I will not fail," I replied ; " and I confess that my curiosity 
has seldom been so much excited about anything as about this new 
literature, which I certainly never dreamed of becoming acquainted 
with through so authentic a channel. I have met with many rare 
and unexpected treasures in St. Petersburg, but I was not prepared 
to fall in with gems of Calmuck literature." 

"In gems of many kinds Russia is by no means poor," said the 
pope, " but unfortunately they are in the habit of showing to strang- 
ers only those which are polished, and whose sparkle and lustre 
may excite their admiration; that which does not make a show 
is here little prized, and so the people think to do foreigners no plea- 
sure by exhibiting it. I will wager that the very first thing of all 
that they took you to see was the Moon of the Mountains." 

" The Moon of the Mountains ! " I exclaimed ; " what is that ? " 

" Then you have not yet been to the Hermitage?" 

" Indeed I have." 

"And did not see the Crown-jewels ?" 

" Yes, yes," replied I; "I saw crown, sceptre, imperial globe, 
and all the rest of it, and was, I must admit, astonished at the ex- 
traordinary splendour of the precious stones. Above all, a diamond 
in the sceptre made a great impression on me. I never beheld any- 
thing to equal it for size and purity. But, to return to your text, 
what has that to do with the Moon of the Mountains ?" 

" Much ! " he answered, " for that is the name of the diamond in 
question, whose equal assuredly is hardly to be found in Europe. 
Its size and splendour must strike every one, but for connoisseurs it 
is of incalculable value. The name of its first possessor is unknown ; 
and on that score the wildest tales circulate. Several old manu- 
scripts affirm that this resplendent jewel was once an eye of the 
statue of the Great Lama in India ; but this may very well be meant 
9* 



202 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

metaphorically to indicate its great lucidity and extraordinarily pure 
water. Fact it is that the celebrated Thamas Kuli-Chan — after he, 
who sprang from the lower classes of the people (history calls him 
a shepherd's son), had raised himself to the throne of Persia and 
assumed the title of Nadir-Shah — enriched his treasures with dia- 
monds of the rarest beauty. Prominent amongst these were two 
stones whose equals the world never beheld. On that account one 
of them was called the Ocean Sun, the other the Moon of the Moun- 
tains. Towards the end of a reign which innumerable heroic deeds 
had illustrated, Nadir-Shah's naturally irritable temper betrayed 
him into the commission of all manner of cruelties. Their conse- 
quences were several insurrections, which led him on to still more 
frightful deeds, until he had the eyes of a beloved son torn out, and 
was brought to the brink of insanity by remorse and despair. At 
last, hard pressed by insurgents, he sent against them an army com- 
manded by his nephew, Ali-Kuli-Chan. But this nephew joined 
the rebels, unfurled the banner of independence, and prepared to 
give battle to Nadir-Shah. With a veteran army Nadir advanced 
to meet him ; but, before doing so, he sent his sons and his most 
precious jewels, under escort of Nasralla Mirza, to the strong for- 
tress of Kelat, whose impregnability appeared to him beyond a 
doubt. He himself took his station at the head of his army, and, 
on the night of Sunday, the 11th of the Gemadi' lakhri, 1160 of 
the Hegira (8th June 174*7), he encamped at the station of Fatha- 
bad, two parasangs from Khabushan. 

" Here his destiny overtook him. In the night, with consent of 
his nephew, three assassins fell upon him in his tent, and separated 
from his body that glorious head, at whose frown all Asia so long 
had trembled. On news of this event the insurrection became 
general, the army went over to the insurgents, the strong fortresses 
were surrendered or stormed, all the members of Nadir-Shah's 
family were killed, and for a time pillage and murder, fanned by 
revenue, raged uncontrolled throughout the land. All the fortresses 
had fallen, except the castle of Kelat, whose fortifications guaranteed 
it from capture, and which on that account was considered one of 
the wonders of the world. Accident brought to pass what force 
never would have achieved. The guard of one of the towers of 



THE MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS. 203 

Kelat, wanting to fetch water, let down a ladder, which was seized 
by the enemy, who happened at that very moment to come up. 
Thus was the tower scaled, and a terrible butchery ensued within 
the walls of the fortress ; the princes fled, were pursued, overtaken, 
and all were executed except the youngest, Sghahrokh, on whom 
Ali-Kuli-Chan had certain ulterior views, and whom he kept in close 
confinement, whilst he himself, on the 25th of the same month, as- 
cended the throne of Khorasan as Ali-Shah. This clone, he had 
the vast treasures of Nadir conveyed from the castle of Kelat to his 
capital Meschehed. The rich store had been despoiled of many a 
precious valuable ; Ali's prodigality heeded not their loss : but it 
was found on examination that the Moon of the Mountains was 
missing! ! To recover that matchless jewel no pains or promises 
were spared, but it was irretrievably lost. 

" About that time there dwelt in Bassora a merchant who had 
three brothers, and whose name was Schafrass, but who was ha- 
bitually known only as the millionsckick, or possessor of millions. 
One day an Afghan chief came to this man, offered him several 
brilliants for sale, and amongst others the Moon of the Mountains. 
The price demanded, although considerable, seemed to the merchant 
far below the value of the object, but nevertheless, before concluding 
the purchase, he desired to consult his brothers ; moreover, he had 
not by him so large a sum in cash, and, in short, he demanded time 
to consider the proposal made him. The Afghan seemed suspicious 
and uneasy, but consented to the delay. When the brothers had 
agreed to buy the diamond, they sought for the stranger : he had 
disappeared. Fear of discovery had doubtless driven him away. 
Now that the prize had escaped them, the brothers eagerly desired 
it ; they followed the traces of the Afghan, and at last found him at 
Bagdad. A bargain was soon concluded, and the Moon of the 
Mountains passed into possession of the brothers Schafrass. But 
now the difficulty was to realize the treasure. The brothers agreed 
to observe the strictest silence concerning it, hid the diamond, and 
for a time did not dare to leave Bassora, lest they should arouse 
suspicion. Not until twelve years later did Schafrass venture to un- 
dertake a long journey, reached Amsterdam, and there, for the first 
time, offered the diamond for sale. The Crown of England was 



204 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

very near obtaining it, when the Russian court made proposals to 
the owner. He was invited to take his treasure to St. Petersburg 
for inspection — compensation for his trouble being guaranteed to 
him — and there its purchase was at last effected, on very unusual con- 
ditions. By the intervention of Count Gregory Orloff, Schafrass 
and his brothers received letters of nobility, and 400,000 rubles in 
cash. The new nobles then left Bassora, and purchased property in 
and near Astracan, where descendants of theirs still reside. The dia- 
mond had a place allotted to it on the sceptre of the Empress Elizabeth. 
" That is the true history of the ' Moon of the Mountains.' " 
The carriage stopped. We were in St. Petersburg, and in front of 
the Alexander Newsky convent. With a hearty shaking of hands we 
parted for awhile ; the pope entered his convent, and I returned home. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



JUSTICE AKD POLICE. 



RUSSIA is the country of contradictions ; the writer who des- 
cribes it without mentioning these, has only observed one side 
of his subject, and has overlooked its most characteristic feature. 
The proverb that extremes meet, is nowhere more frequently justified 
than here, and from this constant meeting naturally arises a mass 
of contrasts and contradictions. 

If one speaks of the Russian climate, you involuntarily shiver, 
and draw nearer to the fire — and you are right ; but when I affirm 
that I have suffered less from heat in Italy, and more from frost at 
Avignon, than in St. Petersburg, I speak the truth, and am also 
right ; but you are not on that account in the wrong. The contrast 
consists in the climate ; consists in the extremes which meet in 
Russia, and which meeting is also to be noted in the national char- 
acter, customs, manners, in the laws and in their execution. If you 
tell me that the Russian has something of the wild beast in his com- 
position, I shall not say that you are in the wrong ; but neither can 
you accuse me of misstatement when I assert, that in social inter- 
course he is amiable, gallant, and delicate. We are both in the 



JUSTICE AND POLICE. 205 

right : we may agree that he holds out his hand to us with German 
frankness, presses ours with the courteous cordiality of a Frenchman, 
and with fingers velvety as a tiger's paw, but from which, as in the 
case of the tiger, the claws sometimes suddenly protrude. To put 
the case in two words — the Russian's breeding is in opposition with 
his original nature, and the struggle between the two engenders 
perpetual contradictions. 

The summer day is of heavenly beauty ; its only drawback is 
that the heat is too oppressive : at six o'clock you are longing for a 
puff of fresh air, that you may breathe freely — at seven you crouch 
shivering beside a blazing fire. Was the day, therefore, not beauti- 
ful, and are there not many days which are fine for the whole of 
their four and twenty hours ? for in the height of summer there are full 
six weeks when one does not know at St. Petersburg what night is. 

You have a servant, true as gold and sober as a dervise. For 
three months not a fault has been found with him ; at the end of 
that time thirst overtakes him, and he is drunk for eight days — ■ 
literally for eight whole days.* This over, for three or four months 
. nothing will induce him to touch strong drink. Are such con- 
tradictions conceivable ? And yet they exist. 

Look at the Russian muschik ! He disgusts you to behold, and 
yet he is the cleanest man in the world ; he is covered with dirt, and 
yet the correspondent lies who wrote to the Cologne Gazette that in 
Russia " the soldiers are driven like cattle to the bath, that being 
the only means by which their proximity is rendered endurable," 
and so forth. The correspondent may have seen the Russian soldier 
dirty, that I admit, and certainly it is not everybody's affair to in- 
vestigate things minutely : the muschik, who works for nine months 
of the year in his sheepskin, and wears the same skin often for ten 
years or more, exposed in it to all weathers, and leaving upon it the 
traces of his occupation — he, I say, certainly cannot be as trim and 
neat as a ballet-dancer ; and the same might doubtless be the case 
with the troops whom the correspondent saw upon their march back 
from Hungary, who also may possibly, for the sake of order, have 
been marched by detachments or corps to the bath under guidance 

* The Kussian considers this a sort of disease, and gives it a particular name, 
which has escaped my memory. — Author's note. 



206 PICTURES FROM ST PETERSBURG. 

of a non-commissioned officer. All this I grant. But what I affirm 
and maintain is this : give the Russian soldier no meat for a month 
and he will not murmur ; put him for three months on half rations, 
he bears the privation uncomplainingly ; but, upon the other hand, 
only deprive him for a month of the two baths which he is accus- 
tomed to take every week, and he will grow discontented, useless, 
sick ; for nature and habit imperiously demand this clean iness of 
his body, however unspeakable may be the dirt of his garments 
which circumstances entail. There again you have the extremes 
meeting. 

The Russian laws are for the most part wise ; many of them are 
very humane, above all they are very just, and yet in the whole 
world no such scandalous injustice occurs, no such atrocious abuses 
of power are witnessed, as in Russia; in no other country is the ad- 
ministration of justice and police worse than there. The fault is not 
with the laws, but with those who execute them. Whoever has had 
opportunities of becoming acquainted with Russian justice and po- 
lice, will assuredly not complain of the abuse of the lash in that 
country ; much more likely will he be to deplore that it is so little 
laid on, and, especially, that it is so seldom applied in the right place. 
Russian corruption is unfortunately no fable. The man who has 
money enough, who knows the paths, and does not shrink from 
treading them, may there gain all his ends. 

I do not mean to say that the judgment of a tribunal is pur- 
chasable ; I know no example of this, nor do I believe it ; but what 
I can testify to is the occurrence of cases where the parties concerned 
could not get the legal judgment expedited. Thus the decision in 
their favour was virtually useless, and all applications were for years 
ineffectual, until a golden key at last opened the archives in which, 
beneath a thick layer of dust, reposed the much desired documents.* 

The police are ten times worse. Against their activity nothing 
is to be said, and they are quick at discovering thefts ; but so great 
is their faculty of retention, that a person who has been robbed 
never considers his chance of recovering his property so small as 
when the police have detected the thief. From the thief's hands 

* Vide ante, Chapter XII. 



JUSTICE AND POLICE. 207 

he deems it possible he may get back his own, but from the clutches 
of the authorities — never. So strong and universal is this feeling, 
that robberies would seldom be reported, did not the laws, in the 
interest of public security, render such report compulsory. I must 
give a few cases, which I can vouch for as having really occurred. 
A Courland nobleman, Mr. Von H., lost some silver spoons, knives 
and forks, stolen out of his plate-chest. Some weeks afterwards one 
of his servants came rejoicing to him ; he had found the stolen goods ; 
they were openly exposed for sale in a silversmith's shop window 
Mr. H. went to the window, recognised his property +ook a police 
officer with him, and made the silversmith show them the plate. 
His arms and initials were upon it ; the dealer admitted he had 
bought it of a stranger, and offered to restore it to its rightful owner. 
Mr. H. would have taken away his property, but the lieutenant of 
police forbade that, drew up a formal statement of the affair, and re- 
quested Mr. H., as a proof that the plate was his, to send to the police 
some other article out of the chest to which he affirmed it to belong. 
Mr. H. sent the whole case, with its contents, to the police bureau. 
He never saw either of them again. 

I had this story from Mr. Von H. himself, and I repeated it to a 
physician, a friend of mine, whom I thought very much to astonish. 
Astonished he certainly was ; not, however, at the rascality of the 
police, but at the simplicity of Mr. H., who ought to have known 
them far too well to have trusted them with his plate chest. The 
St. Petersburg thieves are exceedingly skilful and daring. The doc- 
tor, too, had his tale to tell. He wanted a coachman ; one applied 
for the place just as his droschki happened to be at the door, and, 
by the doctor's desire, he drove up and down the street, to give a 
specimen of his skill, which was satisfactory. The doctor called to 
him to come up stairs, and sat down to dinner. The man did not 
appear ; inquiry was made ; he had driven away the horse and car- 
riage, and was nowhere to be found. The doctor made his report 
to the police, as in duty bound, but at the same time made a for- 
mal declaration that he renounced all claim to the stolen property, 
and declined taking it back again. The precaution was most judi- 
cious. He could not do without a vehicle, so bought another the 
same day, and when the police, six weeks afterwards, brought him 



208 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

back horse and droschki, they were in so wretched a state, and the 
charges so enormous, that he was heartily glad to have it in his 
power to decline receiving his property, or paying the costs. 

In a small way, I myself had some personal experience of this 
kind of thing. A silver tablespoon was stolen out of my kitchen. 
I had my suspicions, stated the case to the police, and on the very 
same day the thief was discovered. It was a journeyman baker, 
who brought us bread, who had taken the spoon, and sold it to a 
stall-keeper on the Schukingdwor. The thief was duly punished, 
the receiver's shop was closed, and my spoon was taken to the po- 
lice. It was worth a ducat at most ; but it was a christening gift 
to my child, and on that account I valued it, and spared no pains 
to recover it. 

Pains it certainly cost me. I was referred from one person to 
another, and at last the commissary, in whose custody the spoon 
was, asked me frankly why I was so persevering about such a trifle ; 
I had spent more money in coaches, he said, than the thing was 
worth, and I was likely to spend twice as much more before recov- 
ering it, for there were still many obstacles to its being given up. 

" To-day," I replied, " all those obstacles will be surmounted, and 
to-morrow I shall have the spoon." 

" The devil you will ! " quoth the guardian of public order and 
security. " May I beg to know how you propose to manage that ?" 

" Very easily," I replied ; " and to show you how certain I am 
of what I advance, I now make you a present of the spoon, and am 
nevertheless persuaded that to-morrow you yourself will call and 
return it to me." 

The schasneprice laughed till he was fain to hold his sides. 

" Capital ! " he cried ; " before your complaint comes round to 
me, a fortnight or more will elapse." 

" Yes," I replied, also laughing, " were I such a fool as to make 
a complaint, which, moreover, I have now no right to do, having 
made you a present of the spoon. But it so happens that I dine 
to-day with Perowsky ; and over the dessert I will propose to the 
minister this curious riddle — ' How, in St. Petersburg, can one dis- 
pose of one's property, when it lies in the hands of the police ? ' The 
solution of the riddle — that one must make a present of the pro- 



JUSTICE AND POLICE. 209 

perty — will, perhaps, astonish him. What is pretty certain, how- 
ever, is, that if you will breakfast with me to-morrow, you shall eat 
your soup with the spoon in question. Whether you breakfast with 
me in uniform or out of uniform, depends upon the impression which 
the solution of my riddle may make upon Perowsky." 

Again the man in office laughed ; but this time the laughter was 
somewhat forced ; and his arms, which he had akimbo, fell by his sides. 

" Well, well ! " he said, with constrained joviality, " the joke has 
lasted long enough. Here is your spoon. When shall I breakfast 
with you ? " 

" When you bring me back my silver spoon. Until then, your 
most obedient servant." And I left him. 

I did not dine with Perowsky. I never saw that minister in my 
life ; but his name is a talisman of might against faithless officials, 
as it also is the terror of thieves and sharpers. By adapting it to a 
harmless stratagem, I recovered my property. 

Such is the Russian police. 

The boldness of the St. Petersburg thieves is on at least as mag- 
nificent a scale as the rascality of those employed to detect them. 
Even in London and Paris, I doubt whether any idea can be form- 
ed of it. Kakuschkin, the chief of police, was not very popular in 
the Russian capital ; but by the thieves he was especially detested, 
for his severity almost equalled their audacity. So there was a 
double temptation to despoil him — the gain to the spoilers, and the 
vexation of the spoiled. He possessed, amongst other things, a 
magnificent porphyry vase, which stood upon a no less costly 
pedestal. How the thieves managed to steal the vase is still a rid- 
dle ; but stolen it was. For six months the police hunted after it ; 
not a trace but was followed up and explored ; not a thieves' hiding- 
place but was examined ; but all was in vain. At last hope was 
abandoned, and the authorities relaxed their vigilance. One day, 
however, a policeman went to Kakuschkin's wife, and took her the 
joyful intelligence that the thief was discovered, the vase already at 
the police office, and that her husband had sent him for the pedestal, 
in order to identify the stolen object. Madame Kakuschkin was 
overjoyed : and when her husband came home to dinner she ran to 
meet him, in high glee. 



210 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

"Well," she cried, "and the vase?" 

"What vase?" 

" The stolen vase, which has been found : the vase whose 
pedestal you sent for ?" 

" Whose pedestal I sent for ! Whom did I send?" 

" A policeman." 

" Say, rather, a policeman's uniform. I sent no policeman, nor 
have I heard aught of the vase, or of its pedestal." 

When the chief of the police is thus made game of, what must 
oe the lot of the poor citizens, to whom thieves and police are alike 
dangerous ? 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

ROD AND KNOUT. 



HAPPY days of childhood! — what reader will not be reminded 
of them by the first word of this Chapter's title ? Who has 
not moments when he dreams himself back to that light-hearted 
period, when the father's threatening forefinger at times pointed 
warningly to the instrument of childish torture. And if the 
reminiscence calls up a slight shudder, it still is coupled with 
pleasant memories of joyous boyhood, of the paternal love that 
carefully guarded our youth, and of the kind parent whose very severi- 
ty sprang from anxiety for our future welfare. The rod was certainly 
not the pleasantest feature of that time ; but that was the pleasant- 
est time when we were still subject to the rod. 

Such recollections, however, will hardly make us envy a nation 
which, from the cradle to the grave, is subject to a like chastise- 
ment. The people's rod and the boy's rod are very different things. 
The loving hand which wields the former is a somewhat rude one. 

Men are beaten in Russia, and very much beaten ! 'Tis a sad 
state of things ; but the saddest part of it is not the beating itself, 
but its necessity. The practice has two other disadvantages — one 
physical, and one moral. 

It were superfluous to go into an exposition of the physical 



ROD AND KNOUT. 211 

detriment to the person who receives the blows. That is pretty 
evident. But the moral detriment attains the whole nation ; for 
the practice stamps it as a barbarous one, and makes it pass in the 
eyes of foreigners for a horde of savages, ruled only by the stick. 
The idea of Russia has become so identified with the knout, that 
not a bagman who is bound thither receives his passport with the 
Russian visa without a slight tingling of the epidermis. This bug- 
bear of the knout has done an immensity of harm to the country's 
reputation, and has caused a vast number of one-sided judgments 
to be passed upon it. Hence the contradictory reports of a land 
which lies so near to us, but concerning which we know so little. He 
who does not take the trouble duly to weigh causes and effects, and 
who judges things Russian according to their mere external aspect, 
will set down Russia as a paradise or a hell, according as his social 
position elevates him above the people — depriving him of oppor- 
tunities to observe their condition and mode of life, or confines him 
exclusively to their society. And yet Russia is neither of those 
two things ; but there is no denying that it unites within itself, far 
more than any other country, the most contradictory elements. 
The splendour, the regal magnificence and elegance of a Russian 
drawing-room blind you ; but the next moment you are filled with 
disgust by the dirt of the anteroom. There you have all Russia 
in one single picture : laws, institutions, manners, customs, mode of 
life — everywhere you find the same character, — this moral and 
physical combination of splendour and dirt. 

German philanthropy considers corporal punishments to be dis- 
honourable, degrading, inhuman, barbarous. All this I admit; 
and, according to our ideas, I share this opinion, but only in so far 
as it springs from the ideas that prevail amongst us. If you base 
these assertions on the nature of man, I at once deny their truth, 
and say that it is no such thing ; that corporal punishment is simply 
painful, and that all the rest is merely idea. 

I cannot attain to that excess of philanthropy, fired by which 
old Itzstein demanded, in the Baden chamber, in the year 1837, 
that robbers and murderers, when in prison, should have meat to 
eat at least four times a week, whilst honest and industrious labour- 
ers often pass four weeks without eating meat once. The same old 



212 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

Itzstem wept, in the tribune of the same chamber, during the de- 
bate whether certain offences of convicts should subject them to 
corporal punishment ; and pleaded, in excuse for his weakness, that 
he could not restrain his tears for grief at hearing the word " blows 1 ' 
named, at our time of day, and in that place. At the same time 
an old peasant, who sat near me, was also moved to tears. I asked 
him the reason of his emotion. 

" Ah I" he sobbed out, " how well Herr von Itzstein now speaks ; 
I cannot help crying for grief that the worthy gentleman was not 
of the same opinion twenty years ago. He was then bailiff at 
Schwetzingen, and had me flogged, for a mere trifle, till you might 
have heard me roar at Heidelberg !" 

There you have the riddle solved ! He who is no longer bailiff 
over Schwetzingen peasants can afford to play the philanthropist ; 
be for a while bailiff over Russian peasants, and philanthropy will 
assuredly lose ground. 

The first place where Russians are beaten is at their schools 
That is barbarous, is it not ? but does not the same thing occur al 
German schools ? In the latter case no mention of the practice is 
to be found in the regulations, but it is to be traced on the knuckles 
of the boys, and often in bloody characters. In Russian schools, 
and particularly in the corps, the rod is formally recognised as a 
disciplinary punishment. I will not applaud the practice, although 
it certainly is attended with less danger to the health of the children 
than that sort of ad libitum random beating which — although not 
strictly legal — does not the less surely occur, and which may just 
as well knock out an eye as fall upon some part of the body better 
adapted for the reception of blows. 

The moral influence may be more injurious ; but I do not be- 
lieve that it deadens the feeling of honour, for the chastisement is 
inflicted as a punishment, not as a disgrace. In short, the honour 
or dishonour of the thing depends upon the idea attached to it, 
and, according to Russian ideas, corporal punishments at school are 
not dishonouring. 

Apprentices are beaten in Russia. There nobody takes any heed 
of the practice. Here an immense deal is said about it, but the 
strap is not on that account a bit the less active. 



BOD AND KNOUT. 213 

We now come to the army. 

Is the Russian army the only one in Europe subjected to corpo- 
ral punishment ? How long is it since Prussia abolished it ? and 
previously to its abolishment was Prussia a barbarous country ? Or 
does Austria now pass for one, although hazel stick and stirrup lea- 
ther still play their part in her military regime ? Does not the fleet 
of the freest country in Europe still boast of its " cat," and did not 
the victor of Waterloo speak in the Upper House against its aboli- 
tion ? The mere fact of corporal punishment being permitted is, 
however, subordinate in importance to the mode of its infliction. 
In the Russian army officers are allowed to inflict only a strictly 
limited number of blows, for offences against discipline. The 
greater punishments — which are really severe and even dangerous 
to life, and which are similar to that of running the gauntlet, for- 
merly used in Prussia (but in Russia the number of blows is often 
greater) — can be inflicted only by sentence of court-martial. That 
they are cruel, often horrible to behold, belongs to the chapter of 
Russian contradictions. 

I am an enthusiastic panegyrist of all that I found good in Rus- 
sia, and am so much the more disposed to praise whatever things 
there are really praiseworthy, because out of Russia I have universally 
found those things misrepresented. But I do my best in these, my 
Pictures from St. Petersburg, to paint, with equally vivid colours, 
whatever I saw that was blamable and bad. Unadorned truth is 
my guide and motto. And I hope to be believed when I exhibit 
the good, because it will be seen that I do not suppress the bad. 

The humanity of the Russian laws, which in many respects can- 
not be too highly praised (how they are often mal-administered 
has been already shown in this volume), has long abolished capital 
punishment, except in case of high treason. In its place are the 
Rod and the Knout. Sentences to punishment by the former often 
condemn to such a vast number of blows that the hide of an ele- 
phant could not withstand them. Human nature must sink and 
expire under them. In this dilemma, Russian humanity has had 
recourse to the plan of the tender-hearted boy, who, in order not 
to hurt his dog too much at one time, cut off a little bit of his ears 
every day until he was sufficiently cropped. What man can endure 



214 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

4000 blows of a stick ? They would inevitably kill him, which is 
no part of the condemnation ; and, as a proof that this is not desired, 
the sentence concludes by ordaining that, after he has received his 
punishment, he shall be sent for life to Siberia. 

The officer in command of the troops ordered for the execution 
of the sentence is responsible for its being literally and completely 
carried out. This responsibility he lays, in his turn, upon the shoul- 
ders df the regimental surgeon. The delinquent — civilian or soldier, 
it matters not which — marches down the fatal street of men, with 
a soldier in front and in rear, whose levelled bavonets prevent his 
hanging back or unduly hurrying on. Upon his left walks the sur- 
geon, holding the unhappy wretch's hand in his, and anxiously 
watching the state of the pulse. When its diminished beat gives 
token of danger, the punishment, on a signal from the medical 
man, is immediately suspended, the exhausted sufferer is placed in 
a cart and taken to the hospital. The horrible, but yet humaner, 
practice of the Austrians, to inflict the entire number of blows pre- 
scribed by the sentence, even though the latter portion of them fall 
upon a corpse, is here strictly prohibited. The patient is taken care 
of in the hospital until recovery, and then — another bit of the ear 
is cut off. If this process be often repeated, he usually dies in con- 
sequence of his wounds; but in that case justice has not actually 
killed him ! Should he ultimately recover, he is sent to Siberia. It 
seems incredible, but is nevertheless true, that many criminals have 
thus taken, by instalments, 4000 or 5000 blows, and lived to drag 
out many years of melancholy existence in Siberian deserts. 

The second and still severer punishment is that of the knout, 
with respect to which the most fantastical notions prevail in Ger- 
many. According to these, a man gets the knout in Russia as he 
may get a ribbon or an order, without rhyme or reason. That is 
not exactly the case. Before the punishment of the knout can be 
inflicted, it must be proved that such a crime has been committed 
as would entail, in every civilized country the punishment of death. 
For the knout is the substitute for capital punishment. It cannot 
be inflicted without the Emperor's own signature. For the rest, 
though the sentence proceeds from the judge, its effect depends en- 
tirely upon the executioner who wields the knout. Does he mean 



TEE R USSIAN PEASANT. 2 1 5 

to be humane to his victim ? — he kills him with the first lash ; foi 
so great is the instrument's weight that it enables him to break the 
spine at a single blow. This is not, however, usually done, and the 
unfortunate culprit receives the whole number prescribed, which 
rarely exceeds half-a-dozen. Here no surgeon attends, as on occa- 
sions of running the gauntlet, to regulate the punishment. If the 
criminal dies under the knout, no one is answerable — the motive for 
such exemption from responsibility doubtless being that the very 
■first blow may be fatal. If he survives, he is sent, when cured, to 
Siberia. And instances of persons surviving this frightful punish 
ment have frequently been known to occur. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE RUSSIAN PEASANT. 



THE relation of the Russian peasant to his master is that of the 
slave to his owner — the sulky obedience of impotence to power 
and force. Instinct bids the serf extract as much advantage as he 
can from the connection with his lord, and to do as little as he can 
in return. By advantage he understands brandy, for which he Avill 
do anything, even work. Upon the other hand, if he can shirk 
labour, he deems it a sacred duty to himself to do so. The Rus- 
sian always seems extremely busy, but it is only seeming ; upon 
the whole he gets through about half as much work as a free Ger- 
man day labourer. 

The dress of the Russian peasant is well suited to the climate, 
convenient and not ugly. He wears a shirt, and trousers of blue or 
red-striped linen, and over them a caftan of blue, grey, or brown 
cloth, which reaches below the knee, is cut obliquely from the throat 
to the breast, and studded with cylindrical buttons of brass or white 
metal. Throat, head, and feet, are bare. His throat is protected 
by the very strong but not proportionally long beard ; his hair is 
usually cropped round the head, but sometimes is allowed to flow 
down upon the shoulders. His girdle is a broad linen band, in 



216 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG* 

which he sticks his usual tool, the axe, and in winter time his gloves. 
In the winter he exchanges his caftan for a sheepskin, covers his 
head with a round or four-cornered cap, envelopes his feet with folds 
of linen, and draws on strong boots or a sort of shoes which he calls 
labkar, and which are very skilfully made out of the bark of birch 
or lime-trees. Of these shoes he will wear out twenty or thirty 
pair in the course of a year ; they cost only about fifteen kopecks, 
and most of them are made at Sepuchof, a town to the south of 
Moscow. Of late years this kind of shoes is not so universally 
worn as formerly, for such a great quantity of them were made, 
that the forests near the place of manufacture were seriously in- 
jured by the stripping of the bark from the trees. Those peasants, 
therefore, who are too poor to buy boots, wrap up their feet in 
cloth and sacking, which gives them the appearance of elephant's 
feet. Except in this last respect, the whole costume has a great re- 
semblance with that of the lower classes of English in the time of 
Richard the Second (fourteenth century). 

The Russian peasant women are by no means beautiful. They 
are short-bodied squat figures, with round faces, high cheek-bones, 
coarse features, and pallid complexions. Those amongst them who 
pretend to good looks and wish to improve their appearance, use 
paint ; but they lay it on so unskilfully that they cannot be said to 
mend matters. Their beauty, however, bears due proportion to the 
idea of beauty entertained by that class of Russians who estimate 
personal comeliness by bodily circumference. The more corpulent 
a woman, the more admirers will she have. Such being the beau 
ideal of the Russian of the lower orders, he finds abundant objects 
of admiration. When the first bloom of youth has passed away 
(this occurs at a very early age) all the women get fat, which may 
arise, partly from their lazy habits, partly from their too frequent 
employment of vapour baths. They are puffed out rather than 
plump, and are deficient in that firmness and elasticity of form 
which impart such attraction to the appearance of other European 
women, even of an equally low degree. The climate may also have 
something to do with this ; at least, I infer that it may, from the 
quality of the flesh of domestic animals, which in Russia is much 
more spongy than in Germany. And this is a theme of eternal 



TEE RUSSIAN PEASANT. 217 

complaint with German housewives in Russia, who declare that beef 
shrinks so much in the cooking that it comes out of the pot hardly 
half the size it went in. Be this as it may, corpulence is an impor- 
tant item in a Russian's estimate of beauty ; and that is the case not 
only in the country, but in the higher circles of the capital, where 
such stateliness of exterior is much prized, at least in servants. Cer- 
tain it is that a bulky full-bodied coachman may reckon upon a few 
hundred rubles extra annual wages ; and if, to bodily weight, the 
colossus adds the advantage of a correspondingly bushy and redun- 
dant beard, he may consider his fortune made. 

The dress of the peasant women, even of the poorest, is not 
altogether ungraceful. They wear short gowns of blue cloth 
braided with all the colours of the rainbow, and having the 
stomacher fastened by a row of cylindrical buttons. The young 
girls part their hair smoothly in the Chinese style, and tie it at the 
extremity with a knot of ribbons; but as soon as they are married \he,y 
carefully conceal it under a headdress. This consists of a bright- 
coloured cloth of gay pattern, fastened tightly under the chin, and 
which on festival days is further embellished with ornaments of gold 
or coloured stones. On such occasions also, the throat and head are 
adorned with strings of beads and with gold and silver coins, to the 
utmost of the wearer's means. 

In the severest winter the Russian peasant women give no fur- 
ther protection to their heads. Their bodies, on the other hand, are 
enveloped in thick sheepskins, and their feet carefully protected by 
very warm stockings and boots. In summer they go always bare- 
foot. When they would make themselves particularly fine, they 
put on a red Sarafan, or long gown, and load their head, neck, 
and breast with everything they can scrape together in the way of 
beads, gold, and silver. Even to these poor lingerers upon the 
lowest step of civilisation's ladder, vanity is by no means unknown. 

10 



218 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

CHAPTER XXXVIH. 

A DAY AT SARSKOJE-SELO. 

T was a Sunday, and the weather was delightful. A convoy of 
Mecklenberg saddle-horses had been brought to St. Petersburg 
for the Emperor. They had been put up at Sarskoje-Selo, and as I 
am a passionate lover of horses, the Emperor's chief of the stables, 
Herr Bottger, son of the former riding-master to the royal family 
at Berlin, invited me to visit him and to inspect my four-footed 
countrymen. I set off by the first train. The carriages were cram- 
med, for there was a festival to be held that day at Pawlowsk, two 
versts from Sarskoje-Selo. As we got over the two and forty versts 
in an hour and a quarter, we arrived quite early, and had plenty of 
time, before the crowd came, to see all that was best worth seeing in 
that imperial summer residence. 

First and foremost that which most struck me was the extraor- 
dinary cleanliness of the little town. Versailles is a pig-stye com- 
pared with it. So far is the zeal for cleanliness carried, that people 
are constantly employed patrolling the grounds with shovels and 
brooms in order to remove any impurity left by the passing vehicles 
upon the carriage roads. A pensioned officer has the superinten- 
dence of the grounds, hobbles about from morning to night by the 
help of a wooden leg, and prides himself not a little on the strict 
performance of his duty. When he once accompanied the Arch- 
duke Michael over the place on his return from a journey, -and 
pointed out to him all the contrivances he had introduced for the 
preservation of perfect cleanliness, the Archduke exclaimed, " Pas- 
luschi ! one thing I miss ! I do not See any spitting-boxes !" 

The palace has some resemblance with that of Versailles, but in 
colour it is extraordinarily variegated, and the masses of green 
which glitter between the windows are particularly startling to the 
eye. The length of the building is 800 feet, and amongst the 
apartments are especially to be noticed the two beautiful Glass Sa- 
loons, and the Amber Saloon. The costly pine wood of the latter 
was a present from King Frederick William I. to Peter the Great. 



A DAT AT SABSKOJE-SEL 0. 219 

I could not learn where this wainscoting had been kept until the 
building of the palace by the Empress Elizabeth. 

The garden is charming, laid out in the old French style. The 
newer portions of the grounds are modern in their arrangement, 
with many little hillocks and fishponds : the latter are of tolerable 
extent, and on one of them is a miniature representation of an arse- 
nal, which affords much amusement. You may go out for a cruise 
in the miniature frigates, fire off the pocket cannons, &c, &c. 
Beautiful statues adorn isolated spots in the gardens, and amongst 
them is remarkable, erected hard by a fountain, an embodiment of 
Gellert's fable of " Castles in the Air," in a statue of the purest 
white marble, representing the country girl with the eggs. A build- 
ing is set apart expressly for an armoury. Its roomy apartments 
are filled from top to bottom with antique weapons, trophies, &c, 
in view of which one doubts whether most to admire and wonder at 
the costliness of the objects, or the exquisite taste of their arrange- 
ment, which is entirely the work of the present Emperor's own 
hands. Amongst the most striking objects is a crimson and pale 
blue velvet saddle with bridle, &c, all studded with precious stones 
of great value ; presents from the late sultan, after the last treaty of 
peace. At one extremity of the garden are monuments of imperial 
gratitude to faithful — animals! Here is the stable of the equine 
pensioners, the worn-out favourites of the Emperor and Empress, 
who in their old age are better provided for than many a meritori- 
ous state-servant. These invalid horses are conscientiously tended 
and taken care of by guardians appointed for that purpose. Rus- 
sian gratitude does not stop here, but extends even beyond the 
grave. In this there is little to humiliate us Germans ; for we, too, 
are usually just to the dead. Here we come to the graves of the 
dogs of the Empress Catherine II. Gladly would I have carried 
away one of the handsome slabs — that one, for instance, which bears 
the inscription : " Here lies Duchesse, the faithful travelling com- 
panion of Sir Thomas Anderson. She followed him to Russia in 
1776, and died in 1782, beloved by her numerous descendants, 
amounting to 115 greyhounds of both sexes." I would gladly, I 
say, have conveyed this handsome piece of granite to my civilised 
native land, so ardent in its cultivation of art and science ; have had 



220 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

engraved on the other side, " Here lies Germany's greatest poet," 
and with it have marked the grave of Burger, should the exertions 
of the youths now studying at Gottingen ever succeed in dis- 
covering — where that grave is ! It is hard that the sight of a dog's 
tomb in barbarous Russia should make our cheeks tingle to remem- 
ber how Germany honours her great men. "Well, some day or 
other amends will doubtless be made by decreeing a column to a 
ballet-dancer or horse-rider. 

I rambled all over Sarskoje-Selo, and visited the Empress's Swiss 
farmhouse. I will say nothing of the elegance of the building, or 
of the perfection of its internal fittings up : all that is found a hun- 
dred times repeated in the various imperial habitations. But I must 
speak of the cowhouse belonging to it, which is assuredly unique in 
its style. Roomy, neat, and elegant, its like will hardly be found. 
The racks, troughs, mangers, and other receptacles for the food — I 
can hardly make up my mind to say fodder — are of the finest wood, 
I believe even of mahogany : the floors are waxed and polished : 
nothing is wanting save and except dresses for each individual cow. 
The sole merit I attribute to these sketches being that of consci- 
entious truth, I will not affirm to have seen mirrors in these cow- 
houses, although I almost believe such things were there, and cer- 
tainly they are included in the general impression which the sight 
of the place has left upon my mind. I was informed that the late 
Grandduchess Alexandra passed, by advice of the physicians, and 
shortly before her lamented decease, several nights in this stable. 
It is quite conceivable that she derived little benefit from the exha- 
lations of the cattle, for the cowhouse smells of mille-fleurs rather 
than of cows. The beauty of the inmates fully corresponds with 
that of their habitation : they come from various European coun- 
tries ; from Switzerland, France, Scotland, &c. By the Empress's 
wish the beasts were hung with modulated bells, which must have 
imparted a peculiar charm to their roamings in the pastures. But 
the barbarous ear of the superintendent could not reconcile itself to 
the tinkling, and the Empress did not insist on her will being car- 
ried out. An Empress of Russia has much power ; but sometimes- 
her TschinovniJcs (officers) have still more. 

From the Swiss farm I strolled through luxuriant meadows to a 



A DAY AT SABSKOJE-SELO. 221 

village, where an acquaintance of mine had his country-house. 
Mirth and joy received me there. It was a Sunday, and a festival 
day to boot. The country people, in holiday attire, came streaming 
in from all sides. The opulent inhabitants of the village mingled 
with the peasantry, spent their money freely, and so increased and 
extended the festivity of the day. Amongst the throng, the nurses 
were particularly remarkable. A special interest attaches to this 
class of persons. At first sight one is not impressed by their 
beauty ; but on nearer inspection one is compelled to admit that 
they are perfectly hideous. This is at least the rule ; there are, 
however, exceptions. Finland and Ingria are the districts most fer- 
tile in these productions ; from those provinces they come in troops 
to St. Petersburg. It is a regular colonization, a profession, a busi- 
ness. Now certainly, in a " barbarous " country, where oppression, 
whilst keeping down freedom, prevents the blossom of good morals 
from unfolding itself, one cannot wonder at such a state of things ; 
but in free Baden I confess myself to have been truly surprised at 
its existence ; astonished at the discovery that, in enlightened Ger- 
many, in the free and moral Grand Duchy, there is speculation in 
the same article. Yonder poor girls from Finland and Ingria make 
use of their " misfortune " as a means of existence ; in the pious 
Black Forest such a " misfortune " is ardently desired, for it is a 
source of prosperity and of " domestic happiness." Here a young 
couple, loving, but poor, can aspire to the benediction of the Church 
only when nature has already conferred upon them hers ; the fruit 
of their love is then left in its native hamlet ; whilst the young nurse, 
who has obtained a situation through some register office at Mann- 
heim, Carlsruhe, Darmstadt, Heidelberg, <fec, betakes herself to the 
town, usually with the clothes she stands in for sole baggage, and 
returns, in a year's time, with a good outfit and a few hundred 
florins, to the rural home of innocence. After their long and pain- 
ful separation, she again reposes on her lover's bosom, until a second 
parting summons her to fresh gains. For the second time she re- 
turns home richly laden, a cottage is taken, with its paddock and 
nook of garden, and the priest tardily consecrates the connection to 
which the pair are indebted for their prosperity. 

Notwithstanding the immense affluence of nurses to St. Peters- 



222 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

burg, there once occurred, in consequence of the number of found- 
lings, so great a dearth of them, that in the foundling hospital it 
was found necessary to substitute milch-goats. Whether, however, 
the milk was too heating in its quality, or that the change in the 
animals' food had a bad effect upon them, most of the children to 
whom these four-legged nurses were given fell sick, and the auxiliary 
flock were dismissed. 

Amongst the numerous nurses circulating through the crowd, I 
was particularly struck by one, who carried in her arms a lovely 
child, and was attended by a great Newfoundland dog, which, like 
her shadow, followed every step she took. I knew the dog, for I 
had often seen him at Tscherneretzkow when driving to my country- 
house at Kalomeja. Thence I concluded that nurse and child be- 
longed to the dog's master, a Russian count, who resided at the 
former place. This nurse, a girl about eighteen years of age, of tall, 
slender figure, with a profusion of chestnut hair, black eyes, and teeth 
like alabaster, was evidently from the interior of Russia. She wore 
the national dress ; her brown shoulders were partially covered with 
a fine chemise of brilliant whiteness, embroidered in various colours ; 
the sleeves, which reached to the elbows, were very large ; the sto- 
macher was studded with cylindrical buttons, and adorned with gold 
cords and laces. Below the short frock, garnished with many co- 
lours, appeared parti-coloured stockings, over which were shapeless 
shoes. On her head she wore a rich gold coif, in the form of a 
frontlet, from which depended beads, corals, and a quantity of gold 
trinkets ; ears and throat were overloaded with valuable baubles. 
All these costly ornaments and finery are heaped upon the nurse 
when she arrives — often half-naked — in her employer's house, and 
they remain her property. When she quits service she easily finds 
a husband, thanks to the valuables she possesses, but she does not 
retain her trinkets very long. The husband usually makes away 
with them within a very short time after the wedding, and beats 
his young wife into the bargain, which, however, does not make a 
very serious hole in their love, for a year later she has another strap- 
ping child at that breast — now covered with rags — which, a few 
months previously, had glittered with gold and beads. Cases have 
even been known when a young wife has gone weeping to her 



A DAY AT SaRSKOJE-SELO. 223 

neighbour, and complained that her husband did not love her any 
more, for it was a month since he had beaten her. To this one can 
say nothing, except, — so many countries, so many customs ! 

The joy and merriment of the throng assembled by the festival 
were extremely great. Processions of young girls made the circuit 
of the houses of the gentry, singing as they went. They then re- 
paired to a meadow in front of the village, and danced to the music 
of violins, upon which several young men scraped away with all 
their might. Other lads were wrestling on the grass ; the children 
amused themselves with swings, and the old people sat over their 
quass or schei (tea). It is worthy of remark that in the very largest 
assemblages of Russians, composed of the most various classes, I 
never heard that tumultuous noise which characterises even the 
smallest meetings of our country people. 

We left the good folks to their enjoyments, and drove to Paw- 
lowsk. 

As I have spoken above of the beautiful Newfoundland dog, I 
will not conclude this chapter without recording his heroic and 
tragical end. A few days after this meeting I was driving out to 
my country residence at Kalomeja. As I passed along the road 
through Tscherneretzkow, which runs between the river whose 
name the village takes, and the mansion of the count, I saw a great 
crowd collected round a one-horse vehicle ; to the horse's rein clung 
the Newfoundland dog, and it was impossible to detach him from 
it. His master, it appeared, had driven home in the droschki, 
when, just as he turned into the gateway, the horse shied, and 
backed so rapidly towards the river that the hind wheels were in the 
water in an instant. The vehicle and its owner were to all appear- 
ance lost, when the noble dog sprang at the horse's head and held 
the animal so firmly by the bridle, that it was compelled to stand 
its ground and cease its retrograde movement. On the count's 
shout for aid, people came up and got the horse and vehicle upon 
the road. The count was saved, but his faithful dog had bitten so 
violently into the bridle that his jaw had become in some way 
locked, and all attempts to part his teeth were in vain. For a 
whole hour these painful endeavours were repeated ; the blood ran 
in streams from the poor brute's mouth, but to get it open was im- 



224 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG, 

possible. The count was in despair ; but the case was one for 
which there was no remedy. At last he sent his gamekeeper for fire- 
arms. The man levelled his gun at the noble dog, but the count 
could not bear to behold his favourite fall by a stranger's hand. He 
tremblingly grasped the weapon, and took aim ; but, although close 
to his mark, he could not see for the tears that filled his eyes, and 
he missed. A shot from the gamekeeper took sure effect. The 
dog had no sooner fallen than the count pressed his body to his 
breast as passionately as though it had been that of some dear and 
much-lamented friend. I could not longer bear to contemplate 
this painful scene, and drove on. Before I had turned a corner 
near at hand, a third shot was fired ; turning quickly round I saw 
the valuable horse rear high in the air, and then fall lifeless to the 
earth. The count threw his rifle on the beast's carcase and rushed 
into the house. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

A WINTER MORNING IN THE COUNTRY. 

IT was a splendid winter's morning. Even before rising from his 
bed, the Russian is at once informed of such a day by a glance 
at the thermometer, which hangs between his double windows, and 
stands at sixteen or eighteen degrees below zero. With this dry 
cold the wind is always very light, and it falls in proportion as the 
quicksilver sinks ; until, at twenty degrees below zero, there is usu- 
ally a dead calm. If, in addition to this, there be a gleam of sun- 
shine, the fine winter day is complete, and leaves nothing to be de- 
sired. On such a day was it that we started on an expedition " to 
the Colony." 

Nine o'clock struck as the sledges drove up to the door. I was 
informed of their arrival, or should otherwise not have been aware 
of it, for I could not see them from my apartment on the second 
floor, whose double windows, as well as the thickness of the walls, 
allowed a view only of the opposite side of the street. And sledges 
in Russia do not announce their coming, as in Germany, by the 



A WINTER MORNING IN TEE COUNTRY. 225 

jingle of bells studding the harness of the horses. On the country 
roads one sometimes meets with these bells ; but their use is strictly 
forbidden in the city, on account of the intolerable noise they would 
occasion. 

I was already dressed, and went down stairs. I must not with- 
hold from the reader a description of my dress, for I can imagine 
his curiosity to know in what sort of accoutrement people start for 
a country excursion on the banks of the Neva, with sixteen degrees 
of frost. Let him not be uneasy. I was well equipped, — that is 
to say, I wore exactly the same dress in which I daily drove to the 
theatre — a ten minutes' drive from my dwelling — where on entering 
the hall I at once found myself in a temperature of fourteen de- 
grees above zero. I wore a light frock coat, »over which I put on a 
fur pelisse. On my head I had a beaver cap. The covering of my 
feet consisted, besides ordinary leather boots — which are made very 
neatly and elegantly at St. Petersburg — of nothing but a pair of 
India rubber over-shoes. By way of precaution I took a shawl 
with me, but made no use of it. These are the terrors of a Rus- 
sian winter. * 

Before the door, I found two tolerably long sledges, each adapt- 
ed to hold four persons comfortably, and each having three horses 
harnessed to it, of which the centre one, a trotter, went in the 
shafts, whilst his two companions galloped on either side. One of 
the sledges had a linen roof or hood, in the style of our demi- 
chaises. 

Before directing our course to our ultimate object, we were 
compelled to accept the invitation of a countryman of ours, who 
had arranged the party, and to accompany him to his country- 
house. Of these country-houses there are three kinds. First, 
those inhabited by their owners ; secondly, farm-houses belonging 
to the country people, which are to be divided into two classes, — 
namely, houses whose owners let them for a term of years — usually 
for ten years — and which the tenants are then at liberty to improve 
and fit up as best pleases them — of course at their own expense — 
and houses which the farmer inhabits himself during the winter, 
cleans up and papers, and puts in decent order for the summer, for 
which season he lets them, stowing himself and his family away in 
10* 



226 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

any little narrow nook. Our friend's country-house belonged to the 
first division of this second class, and was situated at a distance 
of nine versts from St. Petersburg, in a village on the road to 
Pergola. 

After many compliments, German fashion, the ladies got into 
the half-covered sledge, and we men into the open one ; we lit our 
Russian cigars, which, as our host expressed it, are bad to burn and 
strong to smell, and drove merrily off. In less than three-quarters 
of an hour we got over the distance : we had driven across a level 
moor, and various branches of the Neva : nothing impeded us : 
holes and ditches were all filled with snow, and across the boundless 
plain we rattled at full gallop, over the hard frozen crust, which 
sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. A wreath of smoke, 
rising in the clear atmosphere, first announced to us the vicinity of 
the little village, which lay at the other side of a slight eleva- 
tion. On reaching the summit of this, we perceived, at some 
distance, a lively movement upon the ground, proceeding apparent- 
ly from living creatures, but what these creatures were we could not 
immediately discern, owing to an avenue which impeded our view. 
On emerging from this, we turned to the left, and suddenly found 
ourselves at the distance of a stone's throw from the objects that 
had excited our curiosity. These were neither more nor less than a 
bevy of young girls, in that antique costume — which, nevertheless, 
is always a la mode — in which Dame Nature had sent them into 
the world. Without the least fear of tumbling their dress, they 
were rolling in the snow, laughing and romping. Our sudden ar- 
rival put them to flight, and sent them screaming behind a hedge, 
whence, to punish us for our immoderate laughter, they pelted us 
with snow-balls and lumps of ice till we could hardly see out of our 
eyes, and their bashfulness would consequently have been spared 
our gaze, had not the horses — which, although perfectly innocent, 
came in for a share of the punishment — refused to advance. For- 
tunately the second sledge, with the ladies,-^who had been afraid 
to drive so fast as we did — was still tolerably far behind ; so we 
made a show of dismounting, to drive the enemy from their entrench- 
ments. No sooner, however, had they discovered our object than, 
after delivering one last volley, they took to precipitate flight, and 



A WINTER MORNING IN THE COUNTRY. 227 

crept into an adjacent oven with the agility of marmots : only the 
youngest, a little thing about fifteen years of age, remained behind, 
hastily gathering up the clothes, and, as it seemed, quite upon the 
alert, so as, in case of further pursuit, to throw them to her com- 
panions. The approach of the second sledge put an end to the ad- 
venture ; we jumped into ours, made as though we had seen 
nothing, and soon pulled up in front of our friend's country-house. 

A servant received us, and ushered us into a room, heated to an 
agreeable temperature, where a dining-table seemed on the point of 
breaking down under the load of eatables, amongst which were a 
rich supply of fish pies and meat pies, whilst a bright brass samovar 
smoked cheerfully on the board. Neither the ladies nor ourselves 
had felt the cold in the least ; but the drive had nevertheless given 
us famous appetites. German formality was soon laid aside, and 
all helped themselves, in true Russian style, without constraint, and 
without waiting to be pressed, to the brandy, beer, quass, kislitschi, 
wine, tea, pies, white and black bread, ham, cheese roast meat, saus- 
ages, and all the other things which the really exaggerated hospital- 
ity of Russia had there collected together ; and thus did a short 
hour pass away, during which the mouth's activity was devoted to 
other purposes than to a regular conversation. When the urgent 
cravings of the stomach were satisfied, the company went to walk 
in an adjacent wood ; I remained behind, to indulge my passion for 
observation, and to look about me a little in the village, and in the 
houses of its inhabitants. 

First of all I examined the exterior of the cottage occupied by 
the farmer from whom my friend rented his country-house. It 
stood close to the latter, and, like it, was composed entirely of mas- 
sive beams. The small panes of glass in the windows did not per- 
mit a view of the interior of the habitation, so covered were they 
with dirt. To reach the stables I had to cross a tolerably spacious 
court, strewed with all sorts of broken and disjointed fragments of 
carts and farming implements. A handsome roomy three stall 
stable and a coach-house were empty. They belonged to my 
friend's house. On the other hand, in a sort of closet, large and 
lofty enough at most for half-a-dozen sheep, I found a little horse, 
scarcely bigger than a one-year-old calf, whose condition was strictly 



228 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

in proportion to his growth, and who seemed striving to prolong his 
wretched existence by chewing the scanty blades of straw which he 
was able to pick out of the bed of dung on which he stood. I then 
visited the barn, and found it full of straw. Although it still 
wanted several weeks to Christmas, there was no corn left in the ear. 
On examining the straw I observed that it was extremely well 
threshed out — better than I ever saw it on a German farm : it was 
more bruised and broken up than our straw usually is ; but not a 
grain remained in the ears. The farmer showed me the reason of 
this, by taking me to the threshing floor. This was an open space, 
composed, as I discovered — after we had with considerable labour 
shovelled away the snow which lay some feet deep over it — of clay 
beaten and stamped to a hard surface. Close by was a sort of 
stove, and over this a flat place, covered by a roof, where the wheat 
is dried immediately after the harvest, and then at once threshed 
out. My guide explained to me the twofold advantage of this ar- 
rangement, which enables a needy man at once to realise the value 
of his crop, and so to meet the debts contracted during the summer, 
and to lay in some sort of stores against winter: moreover, the grain 
comes more easily and thoroughly out of the dried straw, and the 
mice's portion is economised by threshing it as soon as got in. 
These advantages were evident enough ; but whether the straw thus 
dried does not lose some of its value as fodder, I was inclined to 
doubt, and I was no longer at a loss to comprehend the meagre con- 
dition of the calf-like horse. I was now shown the stove, which was 
constructed in the same way as ours in Germany ; and when I spoke 
of the other stove or oven in which our snow-balling friends had 
taken refuge, I was informed that it was a bath-room ! This dis- 
covery greatly excited my curiosity. I found nothing, however, but 
a great empty place, similar to our baking ovens, with a hearth, 
upon whose flags, when glowing with heat, cold water is poured, 
whereby such a steam is generated as certainly fully justifies the 
name of " vapour bath." I determined to investigate this curious 
arrangement more closely on my return to St. Petersburg, and now 
went to visit the interior of the farm-house. 

On opening the door, we were met by such a steam and smoke, 
that I thought I was entering a vapour-bath in my turn. I could 



A WINTER MORNING IN THE COUNTRY. 229 

distinguish nothing. At the very first step, I put my foot upon a 
living creature, and the squealing that ensued warned me that I had 
discourteously interfered with the comfort of a pig. Anxious to re- 
pair my blunder, I threw myself hastily on my other leg, and 
stamped upon a child, whose violent screams so far lessened my 
alarm that they convinced me I had not trodden it to death. I 
staggered back in consternation, stumbled over a cat and two dogs, 
who were chasing each other in my immediate vicinity, and flew 
backwards through the door. The farmer broke my fall, or I should 
have come down upon the snow with greater violence than I did, 
and perhaps have crushed some chickens and rabbits, or a few more 
children. Whilst I picked myself up. and, with the farmer's help, 
brushed the snow from my clothes, the open door had in some de- 
gree cleared the room of smoke ; so that, on again entering, I could 
distinguish objects tolerably well. Pig and child had recovered 
from their terror, and were peaceably playing together upon the floor. 
The combatants had abandoned the field of battle, and gone forth 
into the open air. Opposite the door was a small square window, 
sparingly admitting the daylight. In front of this stood a three- 
legged stool, with a table, on which lay the unmistakable imple- 
ments of a shoemaker. Shoes, too, were there, which I can safely 
swear belonged neither to Elsler nor to Palmyra Anato. In a cor- 
ner stood a bed, with curtains, whose colour it was impossible to de- 
cide ; a crucifix was stuck up against the wall," with a picture of a 
saint on either side of it. Beside the bed was suspended, from four 
strings, a basket-like frame, which did duty as a cradle, whose deli- 
cate proprietor was still gambolling with the swine. On the walls 
hung pictures of saints ; in a sort of niche, a lamp burned in front 
of one of these. There was also a bit of looking-glass, about as big 
as a moderate-sized snuff-box, stuck against the wall, and beside it 
was a portrait of the Emperor. Besides a table to eat upon, a chair, 
the stove-bench, and a considerable heap of dirt, I saw no other 
furniture in the room. Behind the bench was a great stone stove, 
which rose to two-thirds of the height of the chimney. Upon this 
stove, which was tolerably hot, lay the mistress of the house, and 
beside her a young girl, who was not much more dressed than those 
we had surprised on our road. When her eye met mine, she bowed 



230 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

the upper part of her body, and drew a sheepskin to her, which she 
threw over her shoulders, and soon afterwards got off and behind 
the stove. From the smiling manner in which she greeted me, I 
saw that she was one of the damsels whose acquaintance we had so 
oddly made during our drive from St. Petersburg. The indescriba- 
ble filth of the sheepskin contrasted strangely with the cleanliness 
of her skin. Her hair hung dripping over her shoulders ; which, 
like her cheeks, glowed with the results of the bath. I would wil- 
lingly have extended my observations a little further ; but the op- 
pressive heat and tremendous smoke went near to stifle me. I 
hurried out of the place, and, when I turned round at the door, to 
close it after me, I saw that the young girl had already discarded 
her sheepskin, and was getting upon the stove again, to lie down 
beside her mother, who, being, perhaps, under the influence of 
drink, had been a motionless and silent spectatress of the whole 
scene. 

Such is the interior of the dwelling of a Russian peasant. 
When I reached the door of the villa, my companions were already 
in the sledges, and waited only for me. I jumped in. Soon, villa, 
farmhouse, and stove were out of sight, and at a rapid gallop we 
were on our way to the German colony. 



CHAPTER XL. 

AN EVENING IN THE GERMAN COLONY. 

ALONG the Moscow Sastava, several versts upon the road to 
Moscow, one reaches the first " German Colony." The cold 
had diminished considerably ; towards noon, a gentle wind arose, 
and a lisfht shower of snow came driving after us from the north- 
east. In Russia, snow does not fall in flakes as with us ; or at least, 
when it does so fall, it is an exception to the rule, and a bad sign ; 
for that sort of snow does not form itself into compact masses, but 
usually melts at once, and is the forerunner of thaw. On the other 
hand, people like this kind of snow to fall, and a general thaw to 
set in immediately after the first heavy fall of snow ; but upon one 



AN EVENING IN THE GERMAN COLONY. 231 

condition, which is usually fulfilled, that it shall again freeze and 
snow hard. Then the thaw has sunk the snow, which forms a 
strong foundation of ice; and the fresh snow, falling upon this, 
makes an excellent surface for sledging. Such weather as we now 
encountered is of the kind considered disagreeable in Russia. On 
starting in the morning, we had sixteen degrees of frost ; but, as there 
was scarcely a breath of wind, we did not suffer in the least from 
the severity of the cold. In the course of the first five or six hours 
of the day, the thermometer rose, perhaps, ten degrees ; but then 
the wind rose also ; and although not violent, it was very disagree- 
able, and chilled us through. Fortunately, we had it on our backs ; 
and, as the ladies were partially sheltered by the cover of their 
sledge, the amount of discomfort endured was not so great as to 
spoil the pleasure of the excursion. Nevertheless, all our counte- 
nances brightened up, when the sight of the distant church tower 
proclaimed our approach to the end of our journey. The istworst- 
schick gathered up his reins, bent forward over his horses, and crack- 
ed his whip. The vigorous animals increased their speed, and soon 
our sledge glided through the snug village, and stopped at the door 
of the house we had come to visit. 

Before the other sledge came up, I had abundance of time to 
take a view of the building. What an immense difference between 
this and all the other farmhouses I had seen in Russia. In spite 
of the snow, which now fell heavily, I could not refrain from run- 
ning down the road, to get a general view of the whole place. A 
nice place it was. It had a very lofty ground-floor, which one 
reached by a flight of about eight steps ; over the ground-floor was 
a story consisting of sitting-rooms. The front of these was adorned 
by a small balcony, which, as well as the gallery that ran all round 
the ground-floor, had a penthouse roof to give shade in summer, 
and protect in some degree from the storms of winter. The whole 
appearance of the house reminded me of one of the cosy dwellings 
common in the Highlands of Bavaria, and brought to my mind 
pleasant reminiscences of my native land. After sufficiently con- 
templating the house, I walked across the court to the stables and 
barns. Here, too, what a difference ! The utmost order, the most 
laborious care, were manifest in every detail ; no carts or farming 



232 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

implements lumbered the yard ; not so much as a log of wood lay 
elsewhere than in its proper place. Thrashing was done in the 
barns — the straw was very dry : but, as far as I could judge, not 
stove-dried. The manure was gathered together in broad, level 
heaps, and formed a sort of natural wall — then covered with snow. 
The lowing of cows and oxen issued from the stables, where the 
sleek, well-fed beasts stood up to their knees in clean straw Eight 
strong draft horses occupied another stable ; and in a large loose 
box three thriving foals were disporting themselves. In the racks 
was good store of hay, which the satiated cattle neglected to eat. 
The stable had windows, the crevices around which were well stuff- 
ed to exclude the cold. The place where the horses stood was 
boarded ; the rest of the stable was paved, and a gutter ran down 
the centre. A degree of cleanliness every where prevailed, such as 
no Russian peasant ever enjoyed in his own dwelling-room. I was 
delighted at the neat and prosperous aspect of the place, and invol- 
untarily I said to myself, " This is a German farm." 

Just then, a huge titterring announced the arrival of the second 
sledge. I ran to the front of the house to help the ladies out. A 
fine, comely woman, about forty years of age, welcomed us in the 
dear language of our fatherland, and ushered us into the house. 

A comfortable well-warmed room, furnished in the German fash- 
ion, received us. We hastily threw off our pelisses, helped the 
ladies to peel off their travelling accoutrements, and then began to 
look about us. 

How delighted we were when in every corner, on every screen, 
in every picture that decorated the walls, we found something to 
remind us of our German homes. " Ah ! here is Cologne Cathe- 
dral ! " cried one. " And see here, old Fritz upon his charger ! " 
responded another. " And here the King and Queen ! " Under a 
wreath of immortelles hung a portrait of the King's father and of 
Queen Louisa. Upon the opposite wall was the well-known pic- 
ture,'' 1 Bon soir, Messieurs/" old Ziethen, and the Death of Schwe- 
rin. We Prussians felt our hearts swell at the sight of all these 
things ; two Viennese were rejoicing before a picture of the Stephen's 
Tower ; on the sofa a young lady from Mannheim sat under a 
sketch of Heidelberg Castle and wept right bitterly. 



AN EVENING IN TEE GERMAN COLONY. 233 

I began to think we Lad come to rather a melancholy merry- 
making ; but presently, old associations and home-memories having 
had their due, eyes were dried and we seated ourselves round the 
smoking samovar. We had brought rum with us ; but our host 
would not allow us to use it : we must taste his, and excellent we 
found it, as were also the milk, butter, cheese, sausage, everything 
in short which " the colony" yielded. After we had eaten and 
drank, we sat round the blazing fire, and, in order to pass the even- 
ing in a thoroughly German manner, we proposed to tell ghost 
stories. The ingenious proposition found universal approval ; in all 
haste we formed ourselves into a " spectre-club," put out the lights, 
drew our chairs close in to the fire, and, reverting to the happy 
days of childhood, told grim tales till we were frightened to look 
over our shoulders. 

I had just told the story of the Moors' heads, of old-fashioned 
chiselling, which stood over the door in the hall of a ducal hunting- 
seat near Weimar, and which, on several occasions had acquired 
vitality, had been seen to turn from side to side and to roll their 

eyes — which prodigy Mrs. Yon H had often assured us that 

she herself had witnessed. As a commentary on her testimony I 
am bound here to remark that this lady, estimable for her very ex- 
cellent qualities, was an enormous ghost-seer. This thrilling history, 
however, I had just concluded, and Lilla Loewee was about to com- 
mence another concerning the White Lady of Carlsruhe Castle, ra- 
ther a favourite haunt of ghosts, when the hostess came into the 
room bearing two chandeliers and preceding two maid-servants, 
one of whom carried an enormous goose and the other a heath-cock 
of gigantic proportions. The Petersburgers and others attacked the 
latter ; but we children of Berlin rallied round the goose, and did all 
honour to this product of our German hostess's farmyard. 

After the meal I got the master of the house into the recess of 
a window, paid him a compliment on the excellent management of 
his homestead, and inquired the origin of the colony. " My ances- 
tors," he replied, "emigrated hither from the neighbourhood of 
Liegnitz in the reign of the Empress Catharine the Second, at the 
time of the Silesian war. If you were to visit us in summer you 
would see fields and orchards such as are not to be met with every 



234 PICTURES FROM ST. PETERSBURG. 

day, even in dear old Germany. When the emigrants first settled 
here, there was nothing* for miles around but moor and swamp. 
Their means were small, for the disastrous war had ruined them, 
but the Empress gave them a grant of the land free of all imposts 
for a hundred years, and aided them by advances of money free of 
interest ; thus they were enabled to get the land into cultivation 
and to bequeath to their children a good and unburdened estate. 
Soon after that time some Englishmen came to settle here ; they 
brought considerable capital, purchased extensive tracts of land, and, 
possessing all the requisite means, they established a farm very su- 
perior to ours, and which has maintained its superiority even to the 
present day. That is the settlement known as ' The English Colo- 
ny.' We, however, are quite contented with our lot, and cannot 
comprehend the dread of Russia, which — as we learn from those of 
our countrymen who visit us — generally prevails abroad. True it 
is that we do not discuss politics much ; but do the rural population 
elsewhere understand much about that subject ? I fear that if we 
took to busying our heads with political matters, it would go worse 
with our farms and very little better with the government of the 
world." So saying, he turned cheerfully to the table. " Gentle- 
men," he cried, " you have tasted of my rum, which does my house 
no discredit, as I hope presently further to prove to you by manu- 
facturing from it a glass of punch ; but my cellar contains nothing 
but common wine. I know that you have wine with you ; so, gen- 
tlemen, stand on no ceremony, and scruple not to drink it if you 
prefer it to mine." A loud hurrah welcomed this frank speech of 
our cordial and hospitable entertainer ; our bottles were produced ; 
but towards the end of the evening they had to yield precedence to 
the delicious punch brewed for us by our German host. Midnight 
came and passed and left us in the height of our conviviality ; the 
healths of all present and of many absent friends were repeatedly 
toasted ; a parting glass was emptied to the renown and prosperity 
of Germany, and it was not until three in the morning that we got 
back to St. Petersburg. 

The evening at the German Colony was the happiest that I 
passed during my residence in Russia's brilliant metropolis. 

THE END. 




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